Do App Passwords Expire When Your Office 365 Password Changes?
Question details
The user wants to know if Office 365 or Microsoft Entra app passwords remain valid after the primary account password is changed or reset.
- Product
- Microsoft 365 / Microsoft Entra ID
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Securing a Microsoft account after a password reset, especially in the event of a suspected account compromise.
- Observed behavior
- When the primary account password is changed or reset, the existing app passwords continue to grant access and are not automatically revoked.
Ensure you have access to your Microsoft 365 or Microsoft Entra ID security portal and the necessary permissions to manage multifactor authentication settings.
Manually Revoke and Replace App Passwords
Because app passwords do not automatically expire when your main password changes, you must manually delete and recreate them to fully secure your account.
Changing or resetting your primary account password does not automatically revoke your app passwords. This behavior is consistent across both Office 365 MFA and Azure MFA (Microsoft Entra ID).
If you suspect that your account has been compromised, it is critical to manually revoke all existing app passwords immediately after resetting your primary password.
Log in to your Microsoft 365 account and navigate to your 'Security info' or 'Additional security verification' page.
Find the 'App passwords' section, which lists all the passwords currently active for your legacy applications.
Select the app passwords associated with your account and click 'Delete' to permanently revoke their access.
Click on 'Create new app password', assign it a recognizable name (like 'Outlook on Mac'), and update your applications with the new credentials.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Why don't app passwords expire automatically when I change my main password?
App passwords are designed to provide uninterrupted access for legacy applications that do not support modern authentication. They operate independently of your main password to prevent these apps from breaking every time your primary password is updated.
Is there a difference in app password behavior between Azure MFA and Office 365 MFA?
No, the behavior is identical. Whether you are using Office 365 MFA or Microsoft Entra ID (formerly Azure MFA), app passwords are never automatically revoked upon a primary password reset.
How do I know which app password belongs to which device?
When creating an app password in the Microsoft portal, you are prompted to name it. It is highly recommended to name the password after the specific device or application it is used for so you can easily identify and delete it later.
