How to Change the Password Policy in Windows 2008

Create a password policy using the editor in Windows 2008.

A password policy controls how users create passwords in Windows. The group policy on Windows 2008 controls the user's password. The user is required to create a password with a specific length, a certain number of characters and within a certain period of time. You set the password policy with the policy editor on your Windows 2008 server and mix and match different password policy settings to fit your company's security requirements.

Instructions

1. Click the Windows 2008 "Start" button and enter "secpol.msc" into the search text box. Press "Enter" to open your security policy editor.

2. Double-click "Account Policies" to open a new list of options. Click "Password Policy" to view a list of password policy options.

3. Double-click the policy you want to implement. There are several policy options in the group policy editor. For instance, if you want to implement a minimum password length, double-click "Minimum password length."

4. Select "Enabled" to turn on the policy. Select "Disable" to discontinue using the policy. Click "OK" to save your settings. Repeat this process for each password policy option listed that you want to configure on your network.

References

• Microsoft: Change Password Policy Settings