While biometrics are becoming an increasingly common way to log into PCs and laptops, many still rely on a good old-fashioned password.

But this combination of letters, numbers and special characters serves as a gateway to your entire device, so what happens if y'all forget it?

If this is a shared PC, you may be in luck. There'due south a style to change the countersign via the ambassador, providing an easy way to get back into your business relationship.

How to change another user's countersign on Windows 10

Before proceeding, we should mention that this tutorial volition upshot in the loss of EFS-encrypted files, personal certificates and stored passwords. Many people don't use EFS-encryption, and can easily re-enter those passwords (or click the forgotten password button?), but information technology's worth being enlightened of.

The procedure beneath involves using the Control Panel, so will be roughly the same on Windows 8:

  1. Ensure you log in to the administrator's account. Whatsoever other account volition non take the ability to change other users' passwords
  2. Open Control Panel, the easiest way beingness by searching for it in the taskbar
  3. Click 'User Accounts' from the screen that appears
  4. Select 'User Accounts' again and choose 'Manage another account'
    Windows 10 password change 1
  5. Click on the user for whom you lot'd like to alter the password. If yous don't see 'Password protected' under their name, it should mean they can log in without entering a password
  6. In the 'Make changes to ......'s account' screen, click 'Change the password'.
    Windows 10 password change 2
    If you don't see the option, you might demand to reset your Microsoft account password instead
  7. Enter the new password in both of the top ii boxes, likewise as a hint beneath, and then hit 'Change password'
    Windows 10 password change 3

That's information technology! Now, when you lot try to log in to the affected business relationship, the new password will work.

Yet, that's of little alleviation if y'all've only got one user on your PC, or can't log in to an administrator account. In that instance, here's how to access a laptop without the countersign. We as well take tutorials on how to set a temporary password or remove it altogether.