alt="Remember"/> Although you may turn your work area into a mess, it’s your own mess. When you return to the computer, your letters will be just as you saved them. Sue hasn’t accidentally deleted your files or folders while playing Words with Friends. Bob’s Start menu still contains links to his favorite ukulele websites. And nobody will be able to read your email.
Until you customize your username picture, you’ll be a silhouette. To add a photo to your user account, open the Start menu and click your username. (It’s the icon directly over the Start button.) Choose Change Account Settings from the pop-up menu. When the Settings menu’s Your Info page appears, click the Open Camera button to take a quick shot with your computer’s built-in camera. Still wearing your pajamas? Then choose the Browse Files button to choose a photo already stored in your Pictures folder.
Keeping your account private and secure
Because Windows lets many people use the same computer, how do you stop Diane from reading Rob’s love letters to Miley Cyrus? How can Grace keep Josh from deleting her Star Wars movie trailers? Using a password solves some of those problems, and Windows offers other security solutions, as well.
In fact, security is more important than ever in Windows because some accounts can be tied to a credit card. By typing a secret password when signing in, you enable your computer to recognize you and nobody else. When you protect your account, nobody can access your files. And nobody can rack up charges for computer games while you’re away from home.
Also, if your computer is stolen, a strong password keeps the thieves from logging in to your account and stealing your files.
https://account.microsoft.com. After signing in, choose the Change Password option near your account name.
Holders of Local accounts, by contrast, can follow these steps on their own PC to set up or change the password:
1 Click the Start button and then click the Settings icon. When the Start menu appears, click the Settings icon (shown in the margin) near the menu’s top-left corner. The Settings app appears.
2 Click the Accounts icon (shown in the margin). When the Accounts pane appears, click the words Sign-in Options along the pane’s left edge.Options for signing in to your computer appear.
3 Click the Password button, shown in Figure 2-3. Then click the Change button.You may need to type your existing password to gain entrance. Don’t see a Password or Change button? Then you have a Microsoft account, and need to change your password online at https://account.microsoft.com.
4 Type a password that will be easy to remember. Choose something like the name of your favorite vegetable, for example, or your dental floss brand. To beef up its security level, capitalize some letters and embed a number or two in the password, like iH8Turnips or Floss2BKleen. (Don’t use these exact two examples, though, because they’ve probably been added to every password cracker’s arsenal by now.)
5 If asked, type that same password into the Retype Password text box so Windows knows you’re spelling it correctly.
6 In the Password Hint box, type a hint that reminds you — and only you — of your password.Windows won’t let you type in your exact password as a hint. You have to be a bit more creative.
7 Click the Next button and click Finish.Do you suspect you’ve botched something during this process? Click Cancel to return to Step 3 and either start over or exit.
FIGURE 2-3: Click the Password section and then click the Change button when it appears.
After you’ve created the password, Windows begins asking for your password whenever you sign in.
Passwords are case-sensitive. When typed in as passwords, the words Caviar and caviar are considered different.
Afraid that you’ll forget your password someday? Protect yourself now: Flip ahead to Chapter 14, where I describe how to make a Password Reset Disk, which is a special way of resetting forgotten passwords for local accounts.
When you change your Microsoft account password on your PC, you also change it on your Xbox, your Windows tablet, and every other device where you sign in with a Microsoft account. (I cover Microsoft accounts in this chapter’s next section.)
Windows also allows you to create a picture password in Step 4, where you drag a finger or mouse pointer over an onscreen photo in a certain sequence. Then, instead of entering a password, you redraw that sequence on the sign-in picture. (Picture passwords work much better on touchscreen tablets than desktop monitors.)
Another option that you may see in Step 4 is to create a PIN. A PIN is a four-or-more character code like the ones you punch into Automated Teller Machines (ATMs). The disadvantage of a PIN? There’s no password hint. Unlike Microsoft accounts, your PIN only works on the computer where it was created; it’s not stored online, where hackers may find it.
Tired of constantly entering your password? Connect a Windows 11 compatible fingerprint reader or camera to your PC. (Some laptops, tablets, and keyboards have them built in.) Your computer quickly lets you in after you either scan your fingertip or gaze into your PC’s camera. I describe how to sign in with Windows Hello in Chapter 14.
Forgotten your password already? When you type a password that doesn’t work, Windows automatically displays your hint (if you created one), which should help to remind you of your password. Careful, though — anybody can read your hint, so make sure it’s something that makes sense only to you. As a last resort, insert your Password Reset Disk, a job I cover in Chapter 14.
I explain much more about user accounts in Chapter 14.
Signing up for a Microsoft account
Whether you’re signing in to Windows for the first time, trying to access some apps, or just trying to change a setting, you’ll eventually see a screen similar to the one in Figure 2-4.
FIGURE 2-4: You need a Microsoft account to access many Windows features.
You can sign in to your computer with either a Microsoft account or a Local account. Although a Microsoft account makes Windows much easier to work with, each type of account serves different needs:
Local account: This account works fine for people
