How to change Windows user account password using Command Prompt

Thanks to a simple but useful command tool, you can quickly change your Windows PC user account password right from the Command Prompt window. In other words, this allows you to set a new password for a certain user account on the system without navigating any of the settings menus. Learn how to do it right below.

Things to know when changing password from Command Prompt

The net user command that supports changing Windows user account passwords will essentially require system administrator privileges to be able to execute. This means that you will have to use the system administrator account to use this command. After that, you can use the net user to change the password for your account as well as the accounts of other users on the system.

Also, it should be noted that the net user command only allows you to change the local account password on the system. If you use a Microsoft account with your PC, you'll have to use another method to change that account's password.

Use the net user command to change the Windows account password

If you're ready to change your local Windows user account password, first open the " Start " menu. In the menu that appears, search for the keyword ' Command Prompt '. Then, on the right, click ' Run as Administrator '.

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On the Command Prompt window, type the following command and press Enter . In this command, replace USERNAME with the name of the user account for which you want to change the password, and replace PASSWORD with the new password you want to use.

net user USERNAME PASSWORD

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Alternatively, you can also get a list of all the user accounts currently on the system by using the following command in the Command Prompt:

net user

If your username has spaces, make sure to enclose it in quotes, for example:

net user "Pham Hai" MYPASSWORD

Are you making these password-related changes in a public place? People around you (or security cameras) can see your password as you're typing it. In this case, use the following command.

(Be sure to replace USERNAME in the command with the name of the account you want to update the password for).

net user USERNAME *

You will be asked to enter your new password twice, but will not see any text appear on the screen. Then Command Prompt will display a message stating that the password has been changed successfully.

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It's all simply that. Hope you are succesful.

Lesley Montoya

Update 27 June 2023