How to Enable or Disable Password Expiration in Windows 11

Password expiration in Windows 11 is an important feature that allows you to enhance the security of your data. It helps you establish control over who has access to your device.

It should be noted that the feature is disabled by default and exclusive to Pro, Education, and Enterprise editions of Windows 10 and Windows 11. While having a password set in your device helps secure your data, enabling the password expiration feature beefs it up even more.

This is because it allows you to place a timestamp on the passwords that you use on your user accounts ultimately keeping attackers or unauthorized users at bay. Once the duration you set for the feature lapses, you’ll need to change your password or even username if you want.

You can use this feature to protect both your local users and Microsoft accounts. Here’s how:

How to Enable or Disable Password Expiration for Your Microsoft Account

First up, you can enable password expiration for your Microsoft Account via Microsoft’s Security page. Though you’ll need to change your password. Here’s what you need to do:

1. Launch your browser, head to Microsoft’s Security page, and log in to your account.
2. Click on Password security to change your password.
3. You will need to enter your current password, create a new one and re-enter it to confirm.
4. Then, check the Make me change my password every 72 days box.
5. Finally, click Save to confirm the changes.

This will enable password expiration for your Microsoft account. Likewise, you can disable the feature by going through the process once again but this time don’t check the Make me change my password every 72 days box when you get to step 4.

How to Enable or Disable Password Expiration in Windows 11 via the Command Prompt

1. Click on the Search icon on your taskbar, type cmd, and select the option to Run as administrator.
2. Key in the following command and press Enter to see all the users registered on your device: net accounts
3. Then, to enable password expiration key in the following command and press Enter: wmic UserAccount where Name=”user name” set PasswordExpires=True

However, if you no longer find the feature useful, you can easily disable it:

1. 1. Key in the following command and then replace the username with the user account you want to disable password expiration for and press Enter:wmic UserAccount where Name=”user name” set PasswordExpires=False (“user name” stands for the user account you want to disable password expiration feature)

Bonus Tip: You can also disable password expiration in Windows 11 for all your accounts by keying in the following command and pressing Enter: wmic UserAccount set PasswordExpires=False

How to Enable or Disable Password Expiration via Computer Management

1. Click on the Search icon, type lusrmgr.msc in the search bar then click on Open.
2. Select Users on the left pane, then double-click on your user account and uncheck the Password never expires box to enable password expiration.
3. Select Apply and click on OK to save the changes.

To disable the password expiration feature, go through the process highlighted above but this time make sure you check the Password never expires box.

Extend Your Password Expiration

As you might already be aware, the default expiry duration for local accounts is 42 days while that of Microsoft accounts is set at 72 days. However, there is a provision that allows you to make adjustments to these days based on your preference. Here’s what you need to do:

• Adjust Password Expiration Using Command Prompt

1. Click on the Search icon on your taskbar, type cmd, and select the option to Run as administrator.
2. Key in the following command and press Enter: wmic UserAccount where Name=”user account name” set PasswordExpires=True (you’ll need to replace “user account name” with the account you want to adjust)
3. Then, key in the following command and press Enter: net accounts /maxpwage:## (enter the number of days you would want the password expiration to last in place of the ## marks)

• Adjust Password Expiration Using Group Policy

1. Press Windows + R to launch the Run command.
2. Type gpedit.msc and press Enter to launch Group Policy Editor.
3. Navigate to the following path: Computer Configuration > Windows Settings > Security Settings > Account Policies > Password Policy
4. Head to Maximum password age on the right pane, and right-click on to select Properties.
5. You’ll now see that the default expiry time is currently set to 42 days in the Properties dialog. Here you can either increase or decrease the expiration period.

Note: Keep in mind that the maximum number of days is 999 days.

Protect Your PC’s Data

Password expiration in Windows 11 will help keep your data safe from unauthorized users as well as hackers. It also helps promote privacy. However, if you are looking for a more sophisticated and secure option then Windows Hello should be right up your alley. We invite you to check out our separate post that help you get started.