The steps differ slightly between Windows and Mac, but both take about five minutes

Changing your password is one of the fastest ways to lock down your computer if you think someone has seen it, or simply to rotate to something new. On Windows, you press Ctrl+Alt+Delete, select "Change a password", type your old password once and your new password twice. On Mac, you open System Settings, click "Password" in the sidebar, enter your current password, then type and confirm your new one.

The real work is choosing a password that is actually hard to guess. Most people either create something they can remember easily (which means it is easy for others too) or write it down somewhere visible. A better approach is to use a password manager — a program like Bitwarden, 1Password, or KeePass that stores passwords encrypted and fills them in for you. That way you can use a genuinely random 16-character password without having to memorize it.

If you do not use a password manager yet, aim for at least 12 characters mixing uppercase, lowercase, numbers, and symbols. Avoid birthdays, pet names, or words from the dictionary. A phrase like "Coffee$Monday!2024" is stronger than "P@ssw0rd" because it is longer and less predictable, even though it uses a real phrase.

Key Takeaways

  • Windows users press Ctrl+Alt+Delete and select "Change a password"; Mac users go to System Settings and click "Password" in the sidebar.
  • A password manager like Bitwarden or 1Password lets you use long, random passwords without memorizing them.
  • If you create your own password, use at least 12 characters with a mix of uppercase, lowercase, numbers, and symbols.
  • Change your password immediately if you think someone has seen it, or if you reused it on multiple sites and one of those sites was breached.

Windows: Using Ctrl+Alt+Delete

On any Windows computer, hold Ctrl, Alt, and Delete at the same time. A menu will appear with several options. Click "Change a password" — it is usually the third or fourth option depending on your Windows version.

You will see three fields: "Old password", "New password", and "Confirm new password". Type your current password in the first field, then type your new password in both the second and third fields. Windows requires you to type it twice so you catch typos before you lock yourself out. Click the arrow or press Enter to confirm.

If the change succeeds, you will see a message saying your password has been changed. If you see an error, the most common reason is that you typed your old password wrong — try again, paying attention to Caps Lock.

Mac: Using System Settings

Click the Apple menu in the top-left corner and select "System Settings". In the sidebar on the left, scroll down and click "Password". You may need to click the lock icon in the bottom-left and enter your current password to unlock the settings first.

Once you are in the Password section, you will see a field labeled "Old password". Enter your current password. Below that are two fields for your new password. Type your new password in both the "New password" and "Verify" fields, then click "Change Password".

If you see a message that your password does not meet security requirements, Mac is telling you it is too short or too simple. Try a longer password with numbers or symbols mixed in.

What to do if you forget your new password immediately

If you change your password and then forget it within a few minutes, restart your computer and try logging in with what you think it was. You get several attempts before the computer locks you out temporarily. If you are truly stuck, you can restart in Safe Mode (Windows) or Recovery Mode (Mac) and reset your password using your Microsoft account or Apple ID, though this requires you to remember that password instead.

This is why a password manager is useful — it stores the password for you, so you never have to remember it. If you do not have one set up yet, write your new password down on paper and store it somewhere physical and secure, like a locked drawer. Do not email it to yourself or save it in a Notes app on your computer.

When to change your password right away

You should change your password immediately if you think someone has seen it — whether that is a coworker looking over your shoulder, a family member who watched you type it, or anyone else. Do not wait to see if something bad happens.

You should also change it if you reused the same password on multiple websites and one of those websites was breached. When a company is hacked, attackers get the password you used there. If you used that same password on your computer login, your computer is now at risk. Change your computer password first, then go through your other accounts and change those passwords too, or better yet, switch to a password manager so each account has a unique password.

If you have not changed your password in over a year and you do not have a password manager, changing it now is a reasonable precaution. You do not need to change it every month — that actually makes passwords weaker because people resort to predictable changes like "Password1" to "Password2". But once a year is a reasonable rhythm.

Using a password manager instead of memorizing

A password manager is a program that stores all your passwords in an encrypted vault. You only have to remember one strong password — the one that unlocks the vault. When you need to log into something, the password manager fills in the password for you.

Bitwarden and KeePass are free options. 1Password and LastPass charge a monthly fee but offer extra features like breach monitoring. All of them let you generate random 16-character passwords and store them without you ever seeing them. This means you can use a different, genuinely random password for every account, which protects you if one site is breached.

If you set up a password manager, you can change your computer password to something like "7kL#mP2$9xQ@vR4w" and never have to type it again — the manager will do it for you. This is much stronger than anything you would memorize.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I change my password if I forgot the old one?

Not through the normal password change process — you need the old password to prove you are the person who owns the account. You can reset it using your Microsoft account (Windows) or Apple ID (Mac) instead, which requires you to verify your identity through email or a phone number you registered.

Will changing my password log me out of other devices?

Changing your computer password only affects that computer. If you use the same password on your phone, tablet, or laptop, you will need to update those separately. This is another reason to use a password manager — it syncs across all your devices automatically.

What if I see a pop-up asking me to change my password?

If a pop-up appears on your screen claiming your password is weak or expired, do not click it unless you opened System Settings or Control Panel yourself. Scammers create fake password-change windows to steal your current password. Close the pop-up and change your password through the official method described above instead.

Does changing my password protect me if my computer was already hacked?

Changing your password helps prevent someone from logging in again in the future, but it does not remove malware or spyware that is already on your computer. If you think your computer has been compromised, run a full antivirus scan with a program like Windows Defender (built into Windows) or Malwarebytes before you change your password.