How to change account password using Command Prompt on Windows 10

When you need to change your local account password, you can also use Command Prompt, and in this guide, you'll learn how on Windows 10.

Mauro Huculak @Pureinfotech

January 11, 2022

2022-01-11T06:54:31-05:00

On Windows 10, if you suspect your password has been compromised, it’s a weak password, or if you have been using the same password for a long time, it is a good practice to change your Windows 10 account password to something different and difficult for someone else to guess.

If you have a local account without a Microsoft account, there are multiple ways to change your password, but one quick way is to use Command Prompt.

In this guide, you will learn the steps to change your local account password on Windows 10.

Change account password using Command Prompt

To change your local account password with Command Prompt, use these steps:

Open Start on Windows 10.
Search for Command Prompt, right-click the top result, and select the Run as administrator option.
Type the following command to view all the available accounts and press Enter:
```
net user
```
Type the following command to change the account password and press Enter:
```
net user USERNAME *
```
In the command, make sure to change USERNAME with the account name you want to update.

Command Prompt change account password
Type a new password and press Enter.
Type the new password again to confirm and press Enter.

Once you complete the steps, sign out and sign back into the Windows 10 account to start using the new password.

The steps outlined above won’t apply if you have an account linked to your Microsoft account. In this case, you need to follow these steps to change your account password.

Although this guide focuses on Windows 10, these steps should also work on Windows 8.1 and Windows 7.