How-To

How to Turn On Password Expiration in Windows 11

By Ben Stockton

Published May 5, 2023

If you want to increase your password security on Windows 11, you could set a regular expiration date for passwords. This guide explains how.

Do you want to keep your Windows 11 PC secure from hackers and unauthorized users? One way to do that is to enable password expiration for your account.

Depending on your settings, this feature will force you to change your password every few days or weeks.  This will prevent anyone from guessing or cracking your password over time. It’ll also reduce the risk that your password will be leaked in a data breach, as you’ll regularly be switching to a new (and hopefully stronger) password.

We’ll show you how to turn on password expiration in Windows 11, why you should do it, and how to disable it if you don’t want it below.

Why You Should Enable Password Expiration in Windows 11

Password expiration is a security feature that makes your password expire after a certain period of time. When your password expires, you must create a new one the next time you sign in.

This can help you improve your PC’s security in several ways:

• Password expiration helps to prevent unauthorized changes to your system settings or personal data by someone who has access to your PC.
• It protects your PC from hackers who might compromise your password, especially if your account is inactive or expired.
• It safeguards your privacy by making your password harder to crack, especially if you use the same password for multiple accounts.

By default, Windows 11 sets a maximum password age of 42 days for local accounts and 72 days for Microsoft accounts.

How to Enable Password Expiration for Local Accounts in Windows 11

If you use a local account on your Windows 11 PC, you can enable password expiration using the Local Users and Groups snap-in management tool.

Check your user account type before proceeding, as you’ll need administrator privileges to set a password expiration date. If you use a Microsoft account to sign in to your Windows 11 PC, skip to the next section.

To enable password expiration for local Windows 11 accounts:

1. Right-click the Start menu and select Run (or press the Windows key + R on your keyboard).
   
2. In the Run box, type: lusrmgr.msc and click OK to open the Local Users and Groups snap-in control panel.
   
3. In Local Users and Groups, select the Users folder on the left.
4. Next, double-click on your local user account on the right to set password expiration.
   
5. In the General tab, uncheck the box that says Password never expires and click OK.
   
6. Sign out of your account or restart your PC for the changes to take effect.

Your local account password should expire after the specified number of days—42 days by default. After the password expires, you must set a new password when you next sign in.

How to Enable Password Expiration for Microsoft Accounts in Windows 11

If you use a Microsoft account on your Windows 11 PC, you can enable password expiration online through the Microsoft Security page.

To set a password expiration date for a Microsoft account on Windows 11;

1. Visit the Microsoft Security page in your web browser. When prompted, sign in with your Microsoft account details.
2. Next, click Password security under Security basics. You may be prompted to sign in again at this point.
   
3. You’ll need to change your password to enable this feature, so enter your current password and a new password.
4. Check the box that says Make me change my password every 72 days.
5. Click Save to confirm the change.
   

With this setting enabled, your Microsoft account password will expire every 72 days. As with local users, you’ll need to create a new password when you next sign in after the expiration date passes.

How to Disable Password Expiration in Windows 11

If you don’t want to enable password expiration for your account, you can disable it easily using the same methods as above. Just follow these steps:

• For local accounts, check the box that says Password never expires in the Local Users and Groups snap-in.
• For Microsoft accounts, uncheck the box that says Make me change my password every 72 days on the Microsoft Security page.

Disabling Local Password Expiration Using Windows Terminal

Alternatively, you can disable password expiration for all local accounts using Windows Terminal or older Command Prompt tools.

To disable password expiration for local user accounts:

1. Right-click the Start menu and select Windows Terminal (Admin) or launch cmd via the Start menu.
   
2. In the Windows Terminal or Command Prompt window, type the following command and press Enter:
   wmic UserAccount set PasswordExpires=False
   
   
3. Once you’ve run this command, restart your PC.

Securing Your Accounts on Windows 11

Password expiration is a useful feature that can help you keep your Windows 11 PC secure from unauthorized users and hackers. By enabling password expiration on Windows 11, you can make it harder for others to crack into your system.

If you’re working on a PC without internet access, you might be tempted to remove your password entirely. This still has risks, however, so you should consider whether better options are available.

For instance, you could set up Windows Hello for sign ins and use biometrics (such as fingerprint or face recognition) instead.