How Often Should You Change Your Door Code and Home PINs?

How often should you change your door code? Change it whenever someone who knew it no longer needs access, and at least once a year even if nothing seems wrong. Real events matter more than the calendar: a sitter stops coming, a contractor finishes, you move in, or a relationship ends.

How often should you change your door code? A simple household plan

You'll often see advice to change your code every few months. That's a fine habit, but it misses the real risk: once someone knows a code, you can't take it back.

A stranger guessing is rarely the main danger, since many electronic keypads lock up for a while after several wrong tries. The bigger risk is the growing list of people who once knew the code. So the useful question is: who knows this code who shouldn't anymore?

Here's a plan that works for most households:

• When access ends: change the code within a few days.
• Once a year: change the door, garage, and alarm codes even if nothing has happened.
• Every six months in busy homes: if relatives, cleaners, and your teen's friends all use the code, shorten the cycle.

You may have heard that experts now advise against changing passwords on a schedule. Our guide on how often you should change your password explains why.

Door codes are different. They're easy to memorize at a glance, usually shared with several people, and nothing warns you when one gets passed around. So a yearly change is a sensible safety net.

Events that should trigger a new code

Change the code soon after any of these:

• You move in. Previous owners and builders may still know the codes. In the first week, change the door, alarm, and garage door codes, clear old remotes from the opener, and rekey locks so old keys stop working.
• A contractor, cleaner, dog walker, or house-sitter finishes. If they used a shared code, change it when the job ends.
• A babysitter or nanny moves on. Do it even on good terms. It isn't about distrust, just tying up a loose end.
• Caregivers change. If home caregivers use a key lockbox at your house or a parent's, change its code when someone stops coming.
• A relationship ends. Change every home code, then use this checklist for changing passwords after a divorce or breakup.
• A phone or key fob goes missing. If it could open your smart lock, remove it in the lock's app and change the code.
• The code got around. It was texted to a group, said aloud in public, or shared by a teenager with friends.
• Someone watched you type it. When in doubt, change it.

Changing the code isn't always enough

A new code doesn't close every other way in. When someone's access ends, also remove them from the smart lock app, delete any fingerprint or key fob they used, and rekey if they had a physical key.

For a monitored alarm, delete their user code. Then ask the monitoring company to update your contact list and your verbal passcode, the word you give when they call about an alarm.

Temporary codes for sitters, cleaners, and guests

The easiest way to handle a sitter is to never share the family code. Many smart locks and keypad deadbolts can store a separate code for each person, and some let you schedule when each code works. Check your lock's app or manual, since features vary.

When your lock supports it, follow this routine:

1. Give each person their own code, never the family code.
2. Set an end date or schedule if the lock allows it.
3. Delete the code when the job or visit ends.
4. Every few months, review the code list and remove any you don't recognize.

A smart lock code for your babysitter is the cleanest setup. When they stop coming, you delete one code and nobody else has to learn a new one. Some smart locks also keep a history of which code was used and when, so you'd notice an old code still in use.

Personal codes help inside the family, too. If a teenager's code gets passed around, you change one code instead of everyone's.

If your lock holds only one code, change it whenever someone's access ends. If you host often, a lock that supports a temporary door code for guests may be worth the upgrade. Some garage keypads can also hold a temporary code that expires after a set time or number of uses.

Share codes in person or by phone when you can. If you need to send one, follow the tips in how to send a password securely. Guests will likely ask for the Wi-Fi next, and sharing your Wi-Fi password with guests covers that.

Picking a code that's hard to guess

Choose digits that look random and mean nothing to your family. If your lock allows six or more digits, use them: each extra digit gives a guesser ten times as many possibilities.

Don't reuse your bank card PIN or phone passcode for the door. One code that opens many things is a bigger loss if someone learns it.

If young kids or an older parent need to remember the code, a long random one can be hard at first. Practice it together a few times, or give them their own code if your lock allows it.

For a truly random code, let a random number generator pick it, then check it against the list below.

Codes to avoid: 1234, birthdays, and your house number

These are the first codes anyone will try:

• 1234, 0000, 1111, 1212, and other runs or repeats
• Lines or shapes on the keypad, like 2580 straight down a phone-style keypad
• Birthdays, anniversaries, and years such as 1985 or 2010
• Your house or street number
• The last four digits of your phone number
• One code shared by your door, garage, alarm, and bank card

Keeping track of every code in the house

Most homes have more codes than people realize. Take a quick inventory:

• Front and back door keypads
• Garage keypad and remotes
• Alarm master code, user codes, and monitoring passcode
• Gate, shed, safe, or key lockbox
• Smart lock and alarm apps, and who has access to each
• The programming code some keypad locks require before you can change a code

This is where plans fall apart: a code gets changed and nobody can find the new one. A sticky note on the fridge can be read by anyone who walks by, and a regular notes app may not be locked at all.

That record makes event-based changes easy. When a sitter leaves, you can see right away which codes they knew.

A password manager is built for this. Pinzen, for example, keeps PINs, including door and device codes, alongside your passwords, and viewing one needs a quick approval such as Face ID or a fingerprint. One approval lets you view codes for 10 minutes on that device, then it asks again.

A password manager isn't the only option. A paper list locked in a safe works too, as long as you keep it current. What matters is one trusted place you actually update.

Setting reminders so changes actually happen

A reminder turns "I should change that someday" into a task with a date.

Pinzen has rotation reminders for PINs, so you can get a nudge when a door or alarm code is due for a change. A calendar reminder works too. Either way, set one yearly reminder for the whole house, plus one-off reminders for events, like the day a contractor's job ends.

Here's a yearly checklist you can copy:

1. List every keypad, alarm, and lockbox code in the house.
2. Delete temporary codes and app users you no longer need.
3. Change the main door, garage, and alarm codes.
4. Update your saved entries with the new codes and today's date.
5. Tell household members the new codes in person.
6. Set next year's reminder.

If several family members need the codes, a shared family vault lets you update a code once instead of texting it around. Pinzen's free plan lets you join a family vault someone else created, and Pinzen+ (the paid plan) lets you create your own. Removing a member re-locks the shared items with a new key, but no app can erase a code from someone's memory, so change the code too.

Our guide on how to share passwords with family safely walks through the setup. When you're ready, create a free vault and start with your door, garage, and alarm codes.

Frequently asked questions

How often should you change your door code?

Change it whenever someone who knew it no longer needs access, plus at least once a year even if nothing has happened. In busy homes where sitters, cleaners, and relatives all use the code, every six months is reasonable. There's no official rule, so choose a rhythm you'll actually keep.

Should I change my door code after a babysitter leaves?

Yes, if they used your family code, even if they left on good terms. It isn't about trust, just keeping access limited to people who need it now. Better still, if your lock supports multiple codes, give the sitter their own. When they stop working for you, delete that one code and nothing else changes.

Can someone guess my keypad code from worn buttons?

It's possible. Worn or smudged keys can reveal which digits you use, and four different digits can only be arranged 24 ways. Six different digits allow 720 orders. Wipe the keypad now and then, use a longer code if your lock allows it, and change the code when wear becomes obvious. Some locks also let you type random extra digits before or after your real code.

Where should I keep my alarm and garage codes?

Keep them in one private place that only you and people you trust can open, not on a sticky note or in an old text thread. A password manager that stores PINs and can remind you to change them is a good fit. A paper list locked in a safe also works if you update it after every change.