Password expiration is a critical security feature that ensures users change their passwords regularly, thereby reducing the risk of unauthorized access. In a Windows environment, managing password expiration can help enforce security policies and protect sensitive data. This article will guide you through the process of configuring and managing password expiration settings using various Windows tools, including Command Prompt (CMD) and PowerShell.

Examples:

1. Setting Password Expiration Policy via Local Security Policy:

   • Open the Local Security Policy editor by typing secpol.msc in the Run dialog (Win + R).
   • Navigate to Account Policies > Password Policy.
   • Double-click on Maximum password age and set the desired number of days before a password expires.
   • Click OK to apply the changes.

2. Setting Password Expiration Policy via Command Prompt (CMD):

   • Open Command Prompt with administrative privileges.
   • Use the net accounts command to set the maximum password age. For example, to set the password to expire every 30 days, type:

     net accounts /maxpwage:30

   • Press Enter to apply the changes.

3. Setting Password Expiration Policy via PowerShell:

   • Open PowerShell with administrative privileges.
   • Use the Set-LocalUser cmdlet to set the password expiration for a specific user. For example, to set the password to expire in 30 days for a user named "JohnDoe", type:

     Set-LocalUser -Name "JohnDoe" -PasswordNeverExpires $false

   • To verify the password expiration settings, use the Get-LocalUser cmdlet:

     Get-LocalUser -Name "JohnDoe" | Select-Object -Property Name, PasswordExpires

4. Checking Password Expiration Date:

   • To check when a user's password will expire, you can use the net user command in CMD. For example, to check the expiration date for user "JohnDoe", type:

     net user JohnDoe

   • Look for the "Password expires" field in the output.