What Are My Windows Security Credentials

Your Windows security credentials are the information used to verify your identity when you sign in to a PC, application or network resource. They may involve an account name and password, Windows Hello, or an organisation-issued smart card. Which credentials you need depends on what.

Identify the account behind the credentials

There is no single set of credentials that works everywhere in Windows. A dialogue labelled “Windows Security” can request details for a remote computer or service rather than the account currently signed in to your PC.

Authentication verifies your identity. Permissions determine what that identity can access. A correct password does not automatically give you access to another person's files or administrator privileges.

A local account and a Microsoft account are different account types, although either can be used for Windows sign-in. Microsoft's explanation of local and Microsoft accounts describes how they differ.

Find your Windows account and sign-in options

1. Open Settings and select Accounts, then Your info. Check the account information shown rather than relying on the display name alone.
2. Return to Accounts and open Sign-in options. This shows the sign-in methods available for your device.
3. If the PC belongs to an organisation, check Accounts, then Access work or school for connected organisational accounts. Ask IT which identity a particular service requires.

Connecting a work account to an application does not necessarily mean you use it to sign in to Windows. You may have a personal Windows account and a separate workplace identity on the same device.

Available methods depend on hardware, configuration and organisational policy. Microsoft's Windows sign-in options guide covers PINs, biometrics and security keys.

A Windows Hello PIN is different from a password

Your Windows Hello PIN belongs to the device where you set it up. It is not your Microsoft account password, and different devices can have different PINs. Typing your PC's PIN into a network password field will generally not authenticate you to that resource.

Changing the account password and changing the PIN are separate tasks. Use Microsoft's PIN change or reset instructions if the PIN itself is the problem.

Check saved logins in Credential Manager

Credential Manager stores some saved sign-in details for websites, applications and networks. It is not a complete list of every password you use, and it does not provide a way to reveal your Windows sign-in password.

1. Search for Credential Manager from the taskbar and open the Control Panel result.
2. Select Windows Credentials for relevant network and application entries, or Web Credentials for entries stored there.
3. Expand the entry matching the service or computer you recognise. Check its target and username.
4. If a saved entry is outdated, use the available edit or remove option for that entry. Reconnect to the service and enter its current credentials when prompted.

Removing an entry deletes the saved copy; it does not reset the password on the account. See Microsoft's Credential Manager guidance for the two credential categories.

If you are navigating Control Panel manually, our guide to finding System and Security in Windows 10 explains that area. Credential Manager is accessed through User Accounts instead.

Respond to an “Enter network credentials” prompt

For a shared folder or network device, use an account accepted by the destination. Your current PC's username and password will not necessarily work on another computer or a network storage device.

1. Check the destination named in the prompt. Confirm that it is the computer or service you intended to open.
2. Select another account option if Windows has preselected the wrong identity.
3. Enter the username format supplied by the resource owner or IT team. This may include a computer or domain name.
4. Use that account's password when the prompt requests a password. Check Caps Lock and the keyboard layout if it is rejected.
5. If authentication succeeds but access is denied, ask the resource owner to check your permissions.

On a managed network, Windows may authenticate in the background. For example, Kerberos uses tickets to authenticate access to services without asking you to re-enter your password for every connection. These tickets are managed by Windows, rather than being details you normally type into a prompt.

Change or recover the right credential

For a forgotten Microsoft account password, use Microsoft's account recovery process. For a local account, use the available local password reset options, such as previously configured security questions or a password reset disk. For a work account or smart card, contact your organisation's IT team.

Editing a Credential Manager entry only updates a saved login. It does not change the underlying account password. After a password change, update affected saved entries if an application continues trying the old password.

If workplace instructions mention a physical security control, our guide to the Windows Security button on a Lenovo ThinkPad addresses that separate hardware question.

Protect the credentials you use

• Use a long, unique password for each password-based account and keep it in a password manager.
• Enable multifactor authentication on accounts that support it, especially email and work accounts.
• Change passwords you suspect have been exposed, and follow your organisation's requirements. Microsoft's password policy guidance advises against routine expiry without evidence of compromise.
• Check unexpected prompts before entering details, and never share passwords, PINs or verification codes with someone claiming to provide support.
• Keep Windows and applications updated. Browse our Windows security guides for related settings and troubleshooting.

Start by checking the account or destination named in your prompt, then match it to your account settings or the corresponding saved entry in Credential Manager.