How to Exclude a User from the Microsoft 365 Password Expiration Policy
Question details
The user needs to configure a specific Microsoft 365 user account so that its password never expires, bypassing the organization's global password expiration policy.
- Product
- Microsoft 365
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- An administrator wants to prevent a specific user's password from expiring despite global security policies.
- Observed behavior
- The administrator is seeking the correct method and necessary permissions to apply a non-expiring password policy to an individual account.
Ensure you have Microsoft 365 Global Administrator or User Administrator privileges, and verify that the necessary PowerShell modules for Microsoft 365 are installed on your system.
Set a Microsoft 365 User Password to Never Expire via PowerShell
Use Microsoft 365 PowerShell commands to override the global policy and disable password expiration for a specific individual account.
Because this action requires administrative oversight, it is best executed through PowerShell. You must be connected to your Microsoft 365 tenant using the Azure AD or Microsoft Graph PowerShell module.
Right-click the Start menu and select Windows PowerShell (Admin) or Windows Terminal (Admin) to launch the command line with elevated privileges.
Type the connection command for your installed module, such as Connect-AzureAD or Connect-MgGraph, and sign in with your Microsoft 365 administrator credentials.
Run the command to disable password expiration for the specific user. For example, using Azure AD: Set-AzureADUser -ObjectId user@yourdomain.com -PasswordPolicies DisablePasswordExpiration.
Confirm the update was successful by checking the user's properties with the command: Get-AzureADUser -ObjectId user@yourdomain.com | Select-Object PasswordPolicies.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Can I set a password to never expire using the Microsoft 365 admin center interface?
Yes, in some configurations you can navigate to Users > Active users in the Microsoft 365 admin center, select the user, and look for password settings. However, PowerShell remains the most reliable and direct method for modifying the PasswordPolicies attribute specifically.
Does disabling password expiration increase security risks?
Yes, setting a password to never expire can increase the risk of unauthorized access if the password is ever compromised. It is highly recommended to enable Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) for any account that has an unending password policy.
How do I check if my organization has a global password expiration policy enabled?
Administrators can check the global password policy by navigating to the Microsoft 365 admin center, going to Settings > Org settings > Security & privacy, and reviewing the Password expiration policy section.
