TechDish: How to set your Windows password

Posted on: Fri, 05/13/2011 - 10:02 — us104_admin

We've talked about how to set up strong passwords, but we failed to mention how to go about setting your Windows user account password. D'oh! As of today, consider yourself educated in full!

Why you want to set a Windows password

Simply put, you cannot effectively lock your computer without a Windows password on your user account. This has obvious repercussions for laptop/mobile users, as there may be times you need to step away from that laptop in the coffee shop, and you don't want to leave your email/Facebook/awesome photos bare to the world while you're away. Home users, this is also important—although maybe not quite as critical.

If you've got kids, other family members etc. in your house that you do not want to have access to your computer while you're away from the desk, a password is a very effective way to go. This is especially important if you do not want to close out your bookkeeping, email, or other important programs every time you step away from the computer!

How to set a Windows password

While logged in to your computer, go to the Start Menu > Control Panel > User Accounts. In the User Account Manager, select the user account you want to assign a password to, and click the Create a password link. Type your password into both fields, and optionally type a password hint; then click Create Password at the bottom of your screen to save your changes.