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How to change Windows 10 start-up/lock screen password, NOT account password.

Anonymous
2019-06-02T21:45:57+00:00

I have a laptop and desktop, both of which are associated by my Windows @live account.  I want to change the password that I enter when first turning on the device or when awoken from sleep/lock-screen.  The password for each device is different and I know its not the @live account password, but every step I try and take it won't let me change the start up password.  Only my account password.

I'm trying to lock my kids out of the computers and they have lost them but the know the password and I can't change it..

Help!

Windows for home | Windows 10 | Windows Hello, lock screen and sign-in

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  1. Kapil Arya 37,661 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
    2020-07-18T11:29:38+00:00

    Hello,

    There are two type of accounts usually you've on personal Windows 10. One is Microsoft account and another is local account. 

    If you're on Microsoft account, you need to use its password to login and unlock system after sleep. To change Microsoft account password, you can go to https://account.microsoft.com/security and click Change password link.

    However, if you don't want to use Microsoft account password on your system for anonymous reason, you can switch to a local account. A local account can have its own password, or you can even go with blank password as well. 

    To change a local account password, refer this support article:

    https://support.microsoft.com/en-in/help/4490115/windows-change-or-reset-your-password

    Hope this helps!

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  1. Anonymous
    2019-06-09T19:13:28+00:00

    Hi Greg, thank you for your reply and assistance.

    I can tell you with absolute certainty that the password I use when the computer is first turned on and requests a password is NOT my Microsoft account password.  For one thing, my password is only 5 lower case letters and wouldn't be accepted as a Microsoft password.  I log in occasionally to my Microsoft account and know the password to be different.

    I've got to account settings and see my proper @live.ca account email address listed.  Could I have somehow set up some kind of local account or permissions upon start up?  Or perhaps due to the age of the desktop and having to upgrade to Windows 10 there there is some type of legacy permissions that allows it to function like that?

    I do notice at times I have had to sign is an an administrator to do some actions and enter my proper Microsoft account password but what I want to change is the password you enter when you first turn on the computer.

    Hopefully that makes sense.  Thanks again!

    Tim

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  2. Anonymous
    2019-06-02T21:54:39+00:00

    Hi Helen and Tim -

    I'm Greg, an installation specialist and 9 year Windows MVP here to help you.

    If you have a Microsoft account then you sign in with that password, unless you specifically set up a Local Account which has its password changed in Settings > Accounts > Sign in options.

    See How to change the password of your local account in Windows 10 here: https://www.digitalcitizen.life/how-change-your...

    But it's unusual to have a Microsoft account and not use it to Sign In to WIndows 10. For one thing, you'd have to sign in to all the individual apps and games that are tied to your MS account, and it has a bad habit of then converting your Local Account into the Microsoft account - something we help with a lot here.

    So try the password change at that location to see if it's available. If not then look at Accounts > Your Info to see if an email account is listed at top. If so then you definitely use a MS Account to sign in on that PC.

    I hope this helps. Feel free to ask back any questions and keep me posted. If you'll wait to rate whether my post helped you, I will keep working with you until it's resolved.

    ________________________________________________________

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