How to Customize Automatically Generated Microsoft 365 Admin Passwords
Question details
Administrators need a way to add special characters or symbols to automatically generated Microsoft 365 passwords to comply with strict device and MDM password policies.
- Product
- Microsoft 365 Admin Center
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Creating new user accounts or resetting passwords where organizational MDM policies require symbols in the password.
- Observed behavior
- The Microsoft 365 admin center auto-generates 8-character passwords (three letters including one uppercase, and five numbers) but provides no built-in option to customize this format to include symbols.
Ensure you have global administrator or user administrator privileges in the Microsoft 365 admin center before attempting to manage user accounts and password policies.
Manually Assign Passwords During User Creation
Since the auto-generated password format cannot be customized, the best workaround is to manually type a password that meets your organization's specific symbol and complexity rules.
Microsoft 365 does not currently support modifying the default template for automatically generated passwords. To satisfy strict MDM or device password policies that require special characters, administrators must manually assign compliant passwords.
Log in to the Microsoft 365 admin center and navigate to 'Users' > 'Active users' in the left-hand navigation pane.
Click on 'Add a user' to create a new account, or select an existing user and choose 'Reset password'.
Under the password settings, uncheck 'Auto-generate password' and select the option to 'Let me create the password'.
Type a custom password that includes uppercase letters, numbers, and the required symbols to satisfy your MDM policies, then complete the user creation or reset process.
Submit a Feature Request to Microsoft
If customizing auto-generated passwords is a critical need for your enterprise workflow, you can submit official feedback to Microsoft to request this feature.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Can I force Microsoft 365 to include special characters in auto-generated passwords?
No, the system default for auto-generated passwords (8 characters: 3 letters including 1 uppercase, and 5 numbers) cannot currently be changed. You must manually type a password if special characters are required.
What are the default password complexity requirements in Microsoft 365?
By default, user passwords must have at least 8 characters and include three of the following four elements: uppercase letters, lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols. While users must meet this when creating passwords, the admin auto-generator specifically uses a letter/number mix without symbols.
Is it possible to disable password expiration in Microsoft 365?
Yes. Administrators can set passwords to never expire by navigating to the Microsoft 365 admin center, going to Settings > Org settings > Security & privacy, and configuring the Password expiration policy.
How can I ensure users create strong passwords that meet MDM policies?
You can enforce Azure AD Password Protection, which blocks commonly used weak passwords and allows administrators to define custom banned password lists, ensuring users choose highly secure credentials when prompted to change them.
