Information About Passwords and Missing or Incorrect Passwords (324496)

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You can use password protection with many Microsoft products to protect different types of computer resources. If a user tries to use a password-protected resource, the user is prompted to type the password. If the user types an incorrect password, the user cannot obtain access to the resource.

IMPORTANT: Microsoft support professionals cannot break the password on a secure file or secure feature in a Microsoft program. The password-protection systems that are built into Microsoft programs are designed to provide strong security. Microsoft does not provide a password-protection system that is designed to be easily circumvented.

Some third-party companies claim to be able to break passwords that have been applied to files and features that are used by Microsoft programs. Microsoft does not recommend or endorse the use of any of these types of products. Microsoft employees cannot recommend or endorse any of these third-party companies or their products.

Protect Yourself Against Password Loss

If you can open the password-protected resource, you may want to use one or more of the following methods to prevent password loss:

• Change your passwords so that they are easier to remember. For example, "ty65dr58geT" is hard to remember, but "Pyramid5" is easy to remember.
• Store a written copy of your passwords in a secure location, such as a safe or a safety deposit box. Note that you must use extreme caution if you do so, and make sure that only trusted persons have access to your safe or a safety deposit box.
• Save copies of your files that are not password-protected to a floppy disk, removable hard disk, or other external storage device, and then store the disk in a secure location.

Password Recommendations

When you apply passwords to files or features in Microsoft programs, you may want to use one or more of the following methods to increase the security of your files:

• Do not use words that are in the dictionary as passwords. Instead, use two or more words that are joined together, or use a combination of words and numbers. For example, use "dogcat" or "dog5" instead of "dog".
• Do not use personal information, such as names of family members or pets, your date of birth, social security number, or other similar information as part of a password. Because this type of information may be available to the public, do not use it in a password, even in combination with other characters.
• Use a combination of upper-case and lower-case letters in your passwords. Because passwords are case-sensitive, you may be able to maintain security if someone else hears your password but does not see it.
• Try to create passwords that are at least six characters long.
• Do not use frequently-used passwords such as "password", "guest", "user", or "admin".