To maintain your cybersecurity, it is recommended that you change your computer’s password periodically. Windows 10 makes this easier because you can set a password expiration date.
The steps to do this differ depending on whether you’re using a local account or a Microsoft account to sign in to your Windows PC, so we’ll walk through the process for both.
Set a password expiration date for your Microsoft account
On Windows 10, you may have noticed that Microsoft wants you to use a linked Microsoft account to sign in instead of a local account.
You can set a password expiration date for your Microsoft account online. You will then be prompted to reset your password every 72 days. You must set a new password before you can enable (or disable) this setting.
To do this, go to the Microsoft account security area and sign in. At the top of the Change Password section, click Change.
You will be prompted for both an existing and a new password (you cannot reuse an existing password, so enter a new secure password).
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Since you want to set a password expiration date, check the box next to «Force me to change my password every 72 days» to enable this feature.
Click «Save» to apply the new password and expiration date.
If the change was successful, you will be redirected back to the Microsoft account security page. Sign in and out of Windows to use the new password.
The password for your Microsoft account will expire in 72 days and you will be prompted to change it the next time you sign in.
Set a password expiration date for your local account
If you’re using a local account on your computer instead of a Microsoft account, you can still set your password to expire.
Enable password expiration
First, you must disable the setting that prevents your password from expiring.
To do this, press the Windows + R keys to open the Run window. Enter netplwiz and click «OK» to open the user account settings.
On the Advanced tab, click Advanced to open the Advanced User Management tool.
Here click «Users» in the menu on the left and then right click on your account. Click Properties to enter additional user settings for your local account.
In the Properties menu, uncheck «Password never expires» and then click OK.
Set the maximum password age using the Local Group Policy Editor
Now you need to set a maximum password age for your password. Unlike a Microsoft account, you can set a password expiration date for a local account at any time.
The default in Windows 10 is 42 days. If you wish to keep this length, you can continue to use your computer as normal. When it’s time to reset your password, you’ll be prompted to change it.
If your machine is running Windows 10 Pro, Education, or Enterprise, press Windows + R to open the Run window. Enter here gpedit.msc and click OK to open the Local Group Policy Editor.
(If your PC is running Windows 10 Home, follow the instructions in the next section instead.)
From the menu on the left, select Computer Configuration > Windows Settings > Security Settings > Account Policies > Password Policy and double-click Maximum Password Age.
Change the value from «42» to your preferred length of days, and then click «OK» to save the setting.
The expiration date for local accounts on your PC is now set to the length you prefer. After this period, Windows will prompt you to reset your password.
Set the maximum password age using Windows PowerShell
If your PC is running Windows 10 Home, you must use PowerShell or Command Prompt to set the maximum password age. You can also use this as an alternative to the Local Group Policy Editor process in Windows 10 Pro, Enterprise and Education.
To get started, right-click the Start menu and select either «Windows PowerShell (Admin)» or «Command Prompt (Admin)», depending on your version of Windows.
In the PowerShell window, type net accounts to find the existing maximum password age for your accounts.
If you want to change the default to 42 days, type net accounts /maxpwage:00 and replace «00» with the amount of time (in days) you want to use.
The maximum password age you choose applies to all local accounts on your PC.
