3 ways to 'force' users to change passwords periodically on Windows 10

Windows 10 integrates a whole bunch of great security features, including Windows Hello biometric authentication, malware protection (malware) Windows Defender and Windows Update to update your device. . However, even if these features are available, your computer can still be easily accessed if you continue to use the same password for a long time.

Although users can change their passwords at any time, but can also configure the operating system to require users to change the password periodically. In the article below, Network Administrator will guide you 3 ways to "force" users to change passwords periodically on Windows 10.

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1. Use Group Policy to 'force' password changes

If you are using Windows 10 Pro, Enterprise or Education, you can use Local Group Policy Editor to quickly configure the time (by date) before the user has to change the password for the local account.

1. Press the Windows + R key combination to open the Run command window.

2. On the Run command window, enter gpedit.msc there and then click OK or press Enter to open the Local Group Policy Editor window.

3. In the Local Group Policy Editor window, navigate to the key:

Computer Configuration => Windows Settings => Security Settings => Account Policies => Password Policy

4. In the right pane, double-click the policy named Maximum password age .

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5. Set the number of days for a password that can be used before Windows 10 requires users to change the password. (The ideal value is 72 days).

6. Click OK to complete the process.

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After a specific time, the user will receive a password change notification and try logging in again.

You can also set up forcing users to use more complex passwords or even disallowing users to use old passwords.

Here are some available password policies:

1. Enforce password history
2. Minimum password age
3. Minimum password length

2. Use the Command Prompt to force the password change

Windows 10 Home does not integrate the Local Group Policy Editor, but you can use the Command Prompt to perform the process of forcing password changes.

1. Open Start .

2. Enter the keyword Command Prompt there and press Enter.

3. On the search results list, right-click Command Prompt and select Run as administrator .

4. On the Command prompt window, enter the following command and press Enter to activate the password expiration date:

wmic UserAccount set PasswordExpires = True

5. Enter the following command then press Enter to set the number of days to use a password before Windows 10 requires the user to change the password:

net accounts / maxpwage: 72

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6. Enter the command below and press Enter to review the new password:

net accounts

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After a specific time, the user will receive a password change notification and try logging in again.

If you want to force "expiration" of a password for a user, follow the same steps and go to step 4 using the command:

wmic UserAccount where Name = 'USERNAME' set PasswordExpires = True

Note :

In the above statement replace " USERNAME " with the account name you want to set the password to "expire".

3. How to force password change on Microsoft account?

If you are using a Microsoft account, you can activate the option on your account to change your password every 72 days.

1. Open any browser on your computer and log in to your Microsoft account.

2. In Security & privacy section , click the Change password link.

3. Create a new password.

4. Check the option Make me change my password every 72 days .

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5. Click Next to complete the process.

Refer to some of the following articles:

1. Instructions for setting up BIOS and UEFI passwords to protect data on your Windows 10 computer safely

1. Instructions for changing Windows passwords without having to remember the old password

1. Configure the "brain damage" PIN to log on to Windows 10

Good luck!