Security questions let you reset a forgotten local account password on Windows 10 without a Microsoft account or recovery disk. This feature has been available since the April 2018 Update (version 1803 / build 17134 and later).
You must be signed in with a local account (not a Microsoft account). Microsoft accounts use online recovery instead.
Requirements
- Windows 10 version 1803 or newer
- A local user account that already has a password set
- You must know the current password to add or change the questions
Security Questions for Windows 10 Local Account
In the most recent build that Microsoft has released for Windows Insiders, the company included the capability to set up additional security questions. When the next significant feature update is released at the beginning of the following year, this new feature should become available to everyone.
To add additional security questions, navigate to Settings > Accounts > Sign-in Options and click the link labelled “Update your security questions.”
To confirm the changes, you will be prompted to enter the current security password for the local account.
Then, you can select questions from the available list and enter answers for each one. At the time of writing, there are six distinct questions from which to choose:
- What was your first pet’s name?
- What’s the name of the city where you were born?
- What was your childhood nickname?
- What’s the name of the city where your parents met?
- What’s the first name of your oldest cousin?
- What’s the name of the first school you attended?
Custom questions are not currently available, but they could very well be in the future. Also, remember that you must prepare the answers to all three questions. The next time a user needs to reset their password, they will be required to correctly answer all three questions before the password can be changed if the password cannot be remembered when logging in after the questions have been set up.
You can change your password from the login screen if you log in with a Windows account. There are more options available to you if you’re using a local account to retrieve your forgotten PIN or password. If you use a Windows account to log in as well, you should see more security features like this because Microsoft is committed to security with Windows 10.
Important Notes and Limitations
- Security questions only work for local accounts. They do not appear for Microsoft accounts.
- Once set, the questions cannot be completely removed through normal Settings. You can only change them.
- Choose answers that are memorable to you but hard for others to guess. Avoid information that is public or easily found on social media.
- If the “Update your security questions” link is missing, confirm you are using a local account (Settings → Accounts → Your info) and that your Windows version is 1803 or newer.
- On some systems the option may appear only after you expand the Password section or after creating a password reset disk.
Also Read: How to Fix Xbox Error Code 0x87e11838?
Summary
To add security questions on a Windows 10 local account:
Settings → Accounts → Sign-in options → Update your security questions → enter password → choose three questions and answers → Finish.
This gives you a simple recovery option if you ever forget your local account password. Keep your answers private and consistent.
