Published by

**Brink** · 21 Jan 2008

How to Create a Password for a User Account in Vista

Information

This will show you how to create a password for your user account or another user account to a password that you want so the user account will be password protected.

Note

Normally you would give the default administrator account a password during the installation of Vista. The password will be case sensitive. To create a strong password, see: Windows Help and How-to: Tips for creating a strong password

Tip

To backup your user account password in case you lose or forget it, see: How to Create a Password Reset Disk in Vista

Warning

If you use an Administrator account to create a password for any other user account, the user account will lose access to its encrypted files, e‑mail messages that are encrypted, and stored passwords for websites or network resources. It is best to create a password for a user account from within the same user account to avoid this.

Here's How:

1. Open the Control Panel. (Classic View)

A) Click on the User Accounts icon.

2. To Create a Password for Your User Account

A) Click on the Click to Play button in the video below.

3. To Create a Password for Another User Account
NOTE: You can only change another user account's name from within a Administrator account.
WARNING: See the WARNING at the top of the tutorial.

A) Click on the Click to Play button in the video below.

That's it,
Shawn

Related Tutorials

**Beta3** · 02 Apr 2008

Hello,

I have watched carefully your video tutorial, and tryed to set a password for my Admin Account many times, but at the end I only receive this : "Windows cannot change the password"

Have you got any other alternative??

thanks for your support

Beta3

**Brink** · 02 Apr 2008

Hi Beta3,

Welcome to Vista Fourms.

Are you seeing Create or Change password in the User accounts window?

When you are typing in your password in the first box, make sure you type this exact same password again in the confirmation box below it.

Shawn

**Beta3** · 03 Apr 2008

Hi Brink,

Thanks for the wellcome...

I will tell you some info, maybe this help... I buy a laptop in a store (bestbuy) then the default admin username was the name of the store, then I change the name to my Nick name without problems , without password...

I have tryed to SET a password for my admin account, typing many times exactly the same in both boxes and with and without password hint... but I always receive the same message.

I also tryed to restore the old username for the account, but the result is the same...

Note: I' m an advanced windows user (IT Technician) maybe you have any other alternative touching directly the Registry or any other...

I have another question:
If you change the username of an account you still get the folders with the name of the old account, is there any way to change the User Folder?
I see my New User at the Graphic User Interfaces, but in the directory the folder have the old name, and I don't like this...

Thanks for your attention

Best Regards
Beta3

**Brink** · 03 Apr 2008

Beta3,

Unfortunately the only way to change the C:\Users\(user name) folder name is to create a new account and delete the old one.

In your case that is what I would recommend to do to solve all of this for you. After you create the new administrator account, delete the old one while logged on to the new one. When you are deleting the old one, you will have the option to Keep Files. This will save everything in the old accounts user folders into a folder on the desktop of the new one if you want to keep these.

You should be able to create a password for the new account now.

Let me know if you have any questions on this.

Shawn

**Majt** · 24 Jun 2008

Okay, So I just got a new PC running Vista Home Premium x64. i had the same exact problem as Beta3. What I did to solve it was created another administrator account which I then used to create/change the password on the original account. Hope this helps someone.

**xvertirx** · 19 Sep 2008

Thanks. This was helpful

**Brink** · 19 Sep 2008

Your welcome Xvertirx, and welcome to Vista Forums.

Shawn

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