How to Change Windows Password Using Command Line or PowerShell

Windows makes it simple for any user to change their password from the standard settings menu. But what if they forget it, or even get stuck on the login screen with their local administrator account disabled?

If this is the case, you can connect to their machine using a remote desktop tool such as SetMe, and assign a new Windows password via Command Line or PowerShell.

Here’s how you can do that.

Change Windows password for a local user

1. Run Command Prompt as an administrator, or start Windows 10 in safe mode with Command Prompt at the login screen.
2. Type net user USERNAME NEWPASS where you need to replace USERNAME and NEWPASS with the actual username and a new password for this user.
3. If the actual username consists of more than two words, place it inside quotation marks.
4. Hit Enter.

For extra security, you may want to use the following command: net user USERNAME *. Windows will then prompt you to enter the password twice. This way nobody around you will be able to see the password on your screen.

Change Windows password for a domain user

1. Run Command Prompt as an administrator, or start Windows 10 in safe mode with Command Prompt at the login screen.
2. Type net user /domain USERNAME NEWPASS. Replace USERNAME and NEWPASS with the actual username and a new password for this user.
3. If the actual username consists of more than two words, place it inside quotation marks.
4. Hit Enter.

Change Windows password for a domain user with PowerShell

1. Run PowerShell as an administrator.
2. Use the Set-ADAccountPassword cmdlet to change the user’s password:
   Set-ADAccountPassword -Identity $user -Reset -NewPassword (ConvertTo-SecureString -AsPlainText "$newPass" -Force)
   Replace $user and $newPass with the actual username and a new password.
3. Hit Enter.

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