---
title: "PWDENCRYPT (Transact-SQL) | Microsoft Docs"
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---
# PWDENCRYPT (Transact-SQL)
[!INCLUDE[tsql-appliesto-ss2008-xxxx-xxxx-xxx-md](../../includes/tsql-appliesto-ss2008-xxxx-xxxx-xxx-md.md)]

  Returns the [!INCLUDE[ssNoVersion](../../includes/ssnoversion-md.md)] password hash of the input value that uses the current version of the password hashing algorithm.  
  
 PWDENCRYPT is an older function and might not be supported in a future release of [!INCLUDE[ssNoVersion](../../includes/ssnoversion-md.md)]. Use [HASHBYTES](../../t-sql/functions/hashbytes-transact-sql.md) instead. HASHBYTES provides more hashing algorithms.  
  
 ![Topic link icon](../../database-engine/configure-windows/media/topic-link.gif "Topic link icon") [Transact-SQL Syntax Conventions](../../t-sql/language-elements/transact-sql-syntax-conventions-transact-sql.md)  
  
## Syntax  
  
```  
  
PWDENCRYPT ( 'password' )  
```  
  
## Arguments  
 *password*  
 Is the password to be encrypted. *password* is **sysname**.  
  
## Return Types  
 **varbinary(128)**  
  
## Permissions  
 PWDENCRYPT is available to public.  
  
## See Also  
 [Security Functions (Transact-SQL)](../../t-sql/functions/security-functions-transact-sql.md)   
 [PWDCOMPARE (Transact-SQL)](../../t-sql/functions/pwdcompare-transact-sql.md)