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Passwords add a level of security to your computer. When sharing a computer with others, your customized settings, computer programs, and system resources are more secure when you assign a password to your logon name or user account name.

The steps to perform this task differ depending on whether your computer is a member of a network domain or is part of a workgroup (or is a stand-alone computer).

My computer is on a domain

You must be logged on as an administrator or a member of the Administrators group in order to complete this procedure. If your computer is connected to a network, network policy settings may also prevent you from completing this procedure.

1. Open User Accounts in Control Panel.

2. On the Users tab, click the name of the user for whom you want to create a password, and then click Reset Password.

3. In New password and Confirm new password, type the password, and then click OK.