Domain user passwords are an important part of the security of your Active Directory domain. An AD system administrator can manage domain password policies using Group Policy Objects and Password Settings Objects. In this article, we’ll show you how to set up or change the password complexity policy in Active Directory. Show Password complexity policy settings in Active Directory include the following options:
By default, the following password complexity settings are configured in the AD domain based on Windows Server 2016:
If a user tries to set a password that does not match the password policy in the AD domain when logging into Windows or changing the password via Ctrl+Alt+Delete, an error message will be displayed: Unable to update the password. The value provided for the new password does not meet the length, complexity, or history requirements of the domain. In Windows Server 2008 R2+, you can use several password complexity policies. The default password policy is enforced through the Default Domain Policy. Its settings can be changed using the Group Policy Management Console (gpmc.msc):
Starting with the AD version in Windows Server 2008 R2, you can use personal password complexity policies for specific users or groups. This functionality is called Fine-Grained Password and Lockout Policies. The AD schema has two new object classes: Password Settings Container (PSC) and Password Setting Object (PSO).
Your new password complexity settings will now apply to all users in the specified group. You can display the current password policy settings for a specific user using PowerShell: Get-ADUserResultantPasswordPolicy -Identity b.johnson
I enjoy technology and developing websites. Since 2012 I'm running a few of my own websites, and share useful content on gadgets, PC administration and website promotion. How do I find my ad password complexity?You can find your current AD password policy for a specific domain either by navigating to Computer Configuration -> Policies -> Windows Settings -> Security Settings -> Account Policies -> Password Policy via the management console, or by using the PowerShell command Get-ADDefaultDomainPasswordPolicy.
How do I find my password policy in PowerShell?The Get-ADDefaultDomainPasswordPolicy cmdlet gets the default password policy for a domain. The Identity parameter specifies the Active Directory domain. You can identify a domain by its distinguished name, GUID, Security Identifier (SID), DNS domain name, or NETBIOS name.
Is there a way to see Active Directory passwords?Yes, you can check the Last Password Changed information for a user account in AD. The information for the last password changed is stored in an attribute called “PwdLastSet”. You can check the value of “PwdLastSet” using the Microsoft “ADSI Edit” tool.
What are password complexity requirements?Complexity requirements
English uppercase characters (A — Z) English lowercase characters (a — z) Base 10 digits (0 — 9)
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