Have you encountered the message “Your password has expired and needs to be changed” on the Windows sign-in screen? That’s because passwords for local Windows accounts expire every 42 days by default.
Expiring your Windows account password can be a frustrating situation, especially if you need to access your device quickly. It takes specific steps to reset your password and avoid this situation in the future. Fortunately, there are simple ways you can sign back into your account, as well as settings you can adjust to stop your password from expiring altogether. Check out the best password managers for Windows 11 to keep your data safe.
How to login with expired password
Once your local account password expires and you see the message “Your password has expired,” you will need to create a new password to log in. To create a new password, you must actually remember your current password. That’s the only requirement here. Now, let’s take a look at the steps:
- When you see the expiration message on the login screen, click OK to open the password reset screen.
- Type your current password. Leave this field blank if your account does not have a login password.
- Next, type and re-enter your new password in the Confirm Password field. You can reuse your old password if you want. If you don't want to set a password, leave the New Password fields blank.
- Click the next to follow.
When you see the message that your password has been changed, click OK to continue. Now, simply sign in with your new password. Check out how to reset lost password on Windows 10.
Turn off password expiration for local accounts
After you sign in, you can turn off the Windows password expiration feature using the Local Users and Groups snap-in. This is an advanced feature that is not available in Windows 11 Home edition. If you have the Home edition, you will need to enable local user and group management on Windows Home first. Once that is done, follow these steps:
- Click the Start menu button, type Computer Management, and open it from the search results.
- In the Computer Management dialog box, expand Local Users and Groups in the sidebar.
- Then double-click the Users folder on the right. This will list all of your user accounts on the computer.
- Right-click the user account for which you want to disable password expiration, and then select features.
- In the Properties dialog box, select the option Password never expires..
- Then click OK and Apply to save the changes.
Stop password expiration for Microsoft accounts
Stopping your Microsoft account password from expiring is very easy and doesn't require any special tools. Here's how to do it:
- Go to account.microsoft.com In the browser and sign in with your Microsoft account.
- Locate Safety In the sidebar click change Password In the upper corner.
- On the Change Password page, enter your current password followed by your new password.
- Uncheck the “Make me change my password every 72 days” option, then click Save.
You can now sign in to your Microsoft account with your new password.
Using a Microsoft account as your primary sign-in method has some advantages, such as automatic backup and sync. However, a local user account is still a better option for privacy and security reasons. It's also easier to reset your local account password.
Windows’ password expiration feature is meant to keep your user account secure by rotating your password. However, having to change your password every few weeks isn’t worth the hassle, especially when it’s less effective than two-factor authentication. You can now read Can’t set a standard account as an administrator on Windows? Here’s the fix.
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