With the Microsoft account, it is also possible to use the same settings on any computer with Windows 10 you access; moreover, since the password is that of the Microsoft online services, it is possible to reset the password online, in case you forget it.
In this guide, we will show you in detail what are the options that Windows 10 makes available to manage access and logins on the computer.
How to create an account on Windows 10
To create a user account in Windows 10, we press the keys together Windows-I or open the Start menu to open the app Settings. Let’s go now to the section Account, then on Family and other users, press right on Add another user to this PC or add a family member, which is like a protected account.
When creating a new normal user, you can choose to create a Microsoft or a local normal user. Creating the account associated with Microsoft credentials is the basic setting on Windows 10 but we can still choose the local account: all we have to do is open the screen for entering Microsoft credentials and, without entering the Email address, press on I don’t have this person’s login information and then on Add a user without a Microsoft account.
We can choose to set the new user as an administrator or as a simple user; to make this choice later let’s take the path Control Panel> User Account Management and, in the section Manage another account, change the options change the account type, choosing Administrator.
We advise you not to focus too much on local accounts since they can be easily hacked: for maximum security, it is always better to use a Microsoft account, as seen in our guide using a Microsoft account has some advantages.
READ ALSO: Create and manage user accounts on Windows
Configure access on Windows 10
As for the passwords for user access, we have several possibilities, which we have listed in detail below.
Automatic login without password
If the computer is a desktop PC used only by the owner, we can safely set up automatic login and avoid entering the password every time. This bypasses not only the login password request screen but also the lock screen, somewhat useless on a single-owner computer. Windows startup also becomes faster and more consecutive, without the need for user intervention.
To set up automatic login in Windows, press the keys Windows-R, we open the dialog Run, write the command netplwiz and we reward Submit.
In the window that appears, deselect the option To use this computer, the user must enter the name and password, then press down on OK and restart the computer.
READ ALSO: Login on Windows 10 without password
Change password
To change the Windows 10 password, we open the settings (by pressing the keys Windows + I), and, in the PC settings, let’s go to the section Account> Login Options.
Click on the item Password and then on the key Edit to change the password for both local and Microsoft accounts or to add other authentication methods.
READ ALSO: How to change Windows 10 password
Reset your password with an active Microsoft account
If you use a Microsoft account to log into Windows 10, you can reset your password online if you have problems logging in. To do this, visit the password reset web page on the Microsoft website, enter the Microsoft email address and the CAPTCHA code to confirm that you are a human and not a robot.
A code will be sent to your Email or SMS to the mobile phone that has been associated with the account so that you can proceed with the password reset.
In order for the new computer to “read” the change, it is sufficient that it is connected to the Internet (via Ethernet cable or Wi-Fi) so that synchronization is instantaneous and it is possible to access with the new password.
READ ALSO: Reset the Windows 10 password to access the PC
Reset your password with a local account
If you are using a local user account not tied to a Microsoft account, traditional methods are used to reset the password or recover it if you forget it. As on Windows 7 and Windows 8.1, Windows 10 also includes a tool to create a password reset disk, which we recommend you to create immediately. Let’s go to the Start screen, write “password” and, in the section Settings, start the entry Create a recovery drive.
To use the tool, before launching it, connect a USB stick to the computer. If a password recovery tool was not in place, there is a fantastic trick that allows you to log in to your computer and reset your password without having to reinstall Windows from scratch.
We explained the trick step by step in the guide on how to create a new Windows administrator user to log in without a password.
Alternatively, we can use external programs like Ophcrack to crack the Windows password or Konboot to access Windows without a password.
Create a graphical password
Windows 10 also allows you to log in with gestures on the screen. This feature was designed for touchscreen tablets, for quick access, without wasting time typing letters on the touch keyboard. To create an image password we always press Windows-I, let’s go to the PC settings, and then to the section Account> Login Options, let’s click on Graphic password come on add, then we follow the wizard.
Basically, it’s about logging in with finger or mouse movements on a photo.
For example, a simple graphic password could be a family photo in which people’s faces are touched in a certain order. To make it more difficult you can draw lines or circles.
The graphical password is not a substitute for the normal password that can always be used.
Create a password with a PIN
If you want to secure your Microsoft account, you set up a strong and complicated password. At the same time, to access the computer you can write a PIN of your choice, easy to remember, and faster to write, without changing the main password of the Microsoft account.
The PIN is always configured from the card Access options account settings, by pressing on its entry and pressing on add.
In this way, we will be able to access the account very quickly, without however bypassing the Windows or Microsoft password (which we can always use in case of access difficulties).
READ ALSO: Recover Windows 10 password or PIN from the lock screen
Other advanced access methods
In addition to the methods seen so far, we can use a USB stick for access, fingerprints, and your face (with hardware compatible with Windows Hello).
To learn more, please read our guide How to use Imprint or face recognition on Windows 10 PC.
Conclusions
Managing user accounts on Windows 10 is very simple and, with new technologies, we can avoid hackers and change the password from the browser by acting directly from the Microsoft account used for access; in this regard, we recommend that you also read our guide How to recover the password of an Outlook.com account.
For those looking for other access systems, you can try the local account, PIN access, unlocking with your face or fingerprint, all very secure access systems.
Do we want to check the operation of the confirmation windows on Windows (UAC)? Let’s see all the details together in our guide on How User Account Control works in Windows (UAC).