disable force password change office 365 powershell

Totango

2 min read

·

12-10-2024

1

0

Share

Disabling Forced Password Change in Office 365 with PowerShell

This article will guide you through the process of disabling forced password changes for users in Office 365 using PowerShell.

Note: Disabling forced password changes can be a security risk, so it's essential to carefully assess the need and implement appropriate mitigation strategies.

Prerequisites:

• Office 365 Global Administrator Account: You need an account with global administrator privileges to execute these commands.
• PowerShell Module: You will need the Microsoft Online Services Module for Exchange Online to connect to your Office 365 tenant. Install it by running Install-Module MSOnline in your PowerShell console.
• Connect to Azure AD: Use the following PowerShell command to connect to your Azure Active Directory:

  Connect-AzureAD
  

Disabling Forced Password Change:

1. Identify the User:

   • Use the Get-AzureADUser cmdlet to find the user you want to modify. You can filter by UserPrincipalName or other attributes. For example:

     Get-AzureADUser -Filter "UserPrincipalName eq 'john.doe@example.com'"
     

2. Get the User's Object:

   • Store the user's object in a variable for easy reference:

     $user = Get-AzureADUser -Filter "UserPrincipalName eq 'john.doe@example.com'"
     

3. Disable Password Change Requirement:

   • Set the PasswordPolicies property to None to disable the password change requirement.

     $user.PasswordPolicies = "None"
     

4. Update the User Object:

   • Use the Set-AzureADUser cmdlet to update the user object with the changes:

     Set-AzureADUser -ObjectId $user.ObjectId -PasswordPolicies $user.PasswordPolicies
     

Important Notes:

• This method disables the automatic forced password change, meaning the user will not be prompted to change their password based on the default password policies.
• This does not prevent the user from changing their password manually through the Office 365 portal or other means.
• If you need to enable forced password changes for specific users again, follow the above steps and set the PasswordPolicies property to Default instead of None.

Additional Considerations:

• Security Audit: Regularly audit user accounts to ensure appropriate password management practices.
• User Education: Educate users about password security best practices.
• Alternative Solutions: Consider using solutions like multi-factor authentication (MFA) or conditional access policies to enhance account security without relying solely on forced password changes.

Remember, managing user account security is crucial. Always prioritize secure practices while customizing your password policies to meet your specific requirements.