How to configure password Age for local accounts in Windows 10 and Windows 11 need to tighten up your devices security setting. A maximum and minimum password age encourages better password hygiene for everyone on your home or business network. In this video, we'll show you exactly how to configure password age settings. Before we begin, be sure to subscribe to Ninja One's IT Video Hub and our YouTube channel for more tech content like this. What is password expiration in Windows? In Windows 10 and 11? Password expiration is disabled by default. The minimum password age sets how many days a user must wait before changing their password. Again, it can be zero to 998 days and must be less than the maximum age unless the maximum is set to zero, no expiration. A value of zero means passwords can be changed anytime. Configuring password age for local accounts in Windows 10 and 11. To change password age settings, you must be logged in as an administrator with password expiration enabled. Note, local security policy is only available in pro and enterprise editions of Windows Home Edition. Users must use command Prompt to set the minimum password age in Windows 10 or 11. Right? Click the start button and select run type sec poll MSC and click okay. Go to account policies, password policy, double click minimum password Age. Enter a value from zero to 998 days and click okay. To set the minimum password age using command Prompt or PowerShell, run net accounts slash min P wage colon number, replace number with the number of days. Make sure to run it as an administrator to set the maximum password. Age, follow the same steps, but choose maximum password age and enter a value from zero to 999 in the local security policy editor. To set the maximum password, age open, command prompt, or PowerShell as an administrator and run net accounts slash max PWH number, replace number with the desired number of days, use cases and practical scenarios. Setting password age limits in Windows 10 and 11 is helpful for home users and small businesses that don't use a Windows domain. For managing security settings, it ensures old possibly compromised passwords aren't reused and can help meet security standards like P-C-I-D-S-S, which requires password changes every 90 days. Recommendations and troubleshooting. To see your current minimum and maximum password, age settings, run net accounts in command, prompt, or PowerShell. If you've updated your password rules, you can require users to change their passwords at the next login. To return to default settings, reset the local security policy set password expiry rules based on your business needs and any legal or industry standards you follow. But be careful as forcing password changes too often can lead users to pick weak passwords, write them down, or reuse old ones with small changes, which can make them easier to hack. Strong security policies, including effective password rules are essential to protect your IT systems and data. For more information, check out our official blog post on configuring your password Age for local accounts in Windows linked in the description below.