How to Disable the Windows Password Reveal Button (and How to Make Your Passwords More Secure)

Password reveal buttons put you at risk of compromising your password. Here's how you can turn it off.

When you switch on your Windows PC, the device displays a password reveal button next to the password box. This feature makes it easy for you to ensure you’ve typed in the correct password.

But if there are some prying eyes around you, this might put your security at risk. That's because the password reveal button can make it easy for anyone to check your password.

So, in this article, we’ll show you how you can disable this button to make your device more secure.

1. Disable the Password Reveal Button Using the Local Group Policy Editor

The Local Group Policy (LGPE) is a reliable Windows tool that you can use for configuring various system settings. However, this tool is only available on the Windows Pro, Enterprise, and Education editions.

If you want to access the tool on your Windows Home device, check out a few tricks to enable the LGPE on Windows Home.

Now, here’s how you can use the LGPE to disable the password reveal button on Windows:

1. Press Win + R to open the Run command dialog box.
2. Type gpedit.msc to open the Local Group Policy Editor.
3. Navigate to Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Credential User Interface.
4. Next, double-click on the Do not display the password reveal button option.

Select the Enabled option in the next window. From there, press Apply and then press OK. Close the LGPE and restart your device to save these changes.

The password reveal button should be hidden when you log in to your device. To re-enable it, follow these steps:

1. Open the Local Group Policy Editor as per the previous steps.
2. Navigate to the Credential User Interface option and double-click on the Do not display the password reveal button option.
3. Finally, select the Not Configured or Disabled option. Press Apply and then press OK to save these changes.

2. Disable the Password Reveal Button Using the Registry Editor

The Registry Editor can also help you disable the password reveal button. In fact, this built-in Windows tool is quite helpful for configuring various system settings.

But, before you tweak the Registry Editor's settings, consider backing up the Registry first. This will ensure that you can restore the tool to its previous state if things don’t go accordingly.

Now, here’s how you can disable the password reveal button using the Registry Editor:

1. Press Win + R to open the Run command dialog box.
2. Type Regedit and press Enter to open the Registry Editor.
3. Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE > Software > Policies > Microsoft > Windows > CredUI.

If the CredUI key is present, proceed to the next step. But if this key is missing, here’s how you can create it:

1. Right-click on the Windows key in the Registry Editor and select New > Key.
2. Name the new key as CredUI and press Enter.

Once you’ve opened the CredUI key, follow these steps:

1. Right-click on a blank space on the right-hand side and select New > DWORD (32-Bit) Value.
2. Name this new value as DisablePasswordReveal and press Enter.

Double-click on this value and set its Value data to 1. Press OK when you finish, and then restart your device to apply these changes.

If you want to re-enable the password reveal button, here’s what you should do:

1. Navigate to the CredUI key as per the previous steps.
2. Double-click on the DisablePasswordReveal value and set its Value data to 0 (zero). Finally, press OK and then restart your PC to save these changes.

Now, let’s look at some tips you can follow to ensure that you have strong passwords.

Tips for Making Your Passwords More Secure

If you’re interested in disabling the password reveal button, it means you want to make your device more secure. So, we’re offering you some additional tips that can help you create more secure passwords.

1. Use Longer Passwords

A short password is usually relatively easy to crack. If someone presses the password reveal button, they’ll quickly memorize your password in seconds.

Meanwhile, it's challenging to crack a long password. So, it’s always advisable to create long passwords with a minimum of around 8 or 10 characters.

2. Create Strong Passwords

Creating a long password might not be enough in some instances. For example, a long password that comprises the first ten letters of the alphabet will be easy to crack. So, you need to ensure that your password is strong too.

Ideally, your password should contain at least one upper case letter, one lower case letter, one symbol, and one number. That way, it’ll be too complex for someone trying to hack your device.

3. Avoid Using Personal Information

Passwords that contain personal information are usually easy to crack. For example, someone who has your personal information can easily guess your password.

Also, personal information such as your phone number, birthday, or home address might be readily available online. This means hackers can use this information to get access to your device.

So, by all means, avoid using your personal information on your passwords.

4. Change Your Password Regularly

Changing your password regularly also makes your device more secure. That way, anyone who has your current password won't be able to use it to hack your device months later.

5. Don’t Use the Same Passwords for All Your Devices

Using the same passwords for your devices and online accounts might seem convenient. However, this is very risky.

For example, if someone gets access to your password, they’ll quickly gain access to your other devices and accounts too.

So, it’s best to use unique passwords for your devices and accounts.

6. Don’t Enter Your Passwords on Other People’s Devices

Avoid entering your passwords on other people’s devices—especially if those people are strangers. That’s because you don’t know what setting they’ve configured on their devices.

For example, they might have installed programs that store passwords or record keystrokes. So, entering your password on their devices will give away your password and put you at risk.

Hide the Password Reveal Button to Protect Your Device

The password reveal button is good for verifying whether you’ve typed in the correct password or not. However, it might sometimes put you at a security risk. So, you can disable this feature using the tips we’ve covered.

But here’s the thing—disabling the password reveal button might just not be enough in some cases. So, to make things easier for you, we’ve also covered some extra tips to make your passwords more secure.