Vista - Password - Prevent or Allow to Change

**Brink**

How to Prevent or Allow a User to Change their Password in Vista and Windows 7

Information

This will show you how to Allow or Prevent a selected User Account from being able to change their password from within User Accounts in the Control Panel (Classic View).

Note

By default in Vista and Windows 7, users are allowed to change their passwords.

EXAMPLE: "Windows cannot change the password" Message
NOTE: This is the message a user will get after trying to change their password if their option to change password is set to disabled.

METHOD ONE

Through Local Users and Groups

1. Open the Local Users and Groups manager.

2. In the left pane, click on Users. (See screenshot below)

3. In the middle pane, right click on the user account you want to do this with and click on Properties.

4. To Prevent the Selected User from Changing their Password
A) Check the User cannot change password box. (See screenshot below step 6)

B) Go to step 6.

5. To Allow the Selected User to Change their Password
A) Uncheck the User cannot change password box. (See screenshot below step 6)
NOTE: This is the default setting.

6. Click on OK. (See screenshot below)

7. Close the Local Users and Groups manager window.

METHOD TWO

Through a Elevated Command Prompt

NOTE: This method is for all Vista and Windows 7 editions. This method was provided by Dwarf. Thank you Dwarf.

1. Open a elevated command prompt.

2. To Check the Change Password Status for a User
A) In the elevated command prompt, type the command belowand press Enter. (See screenshot below)
NOTE: Substitute user name in the command belowwith the user name in quotes that you want to see the change password status of.
net user "user name"

B) To the right of User may change password, you will see either Yes (allow) or No (prevent) for that user name. (See screenshot below)

3. To Prevent the Selected User from Changing their Password
A) In the elevated command prompt, type the command belowand press Enter. (See screenshot below)
NOTE: Substitute user name with the user name in quotes that you want to prevent from be able to change their password.
net user "user name" /Passwordchg:no

B) If the command was successful, you will now get a successfully completed message. (See screenshot below)

C) Verify the change with step 1.

D) Go to step 5.

4. To Allow the Selected User to Change their Password
A) In the elevated command prompt, type the command belowand press Enter. (See screenshot below)
NOTE: Substitute user name with the user name in quotes that you want to allow to change their password.
net user "user name" /Passwordchg:yes

B) If the command was successful, you will now get a successfully completed message. (See screenshot below)

C) Verify the change with step 1.

5. Close the elevated command prompt.

That's it,
Shawn

Related Tutorials

**PainlessTorture** · 07-16-2008

Why is your username not there?

**Brink** · 07-16-2008

Hi Fmjc001,

It is: User_Name

I made mine to this so folks will know where to look for their user name instead.

Shawn

**PainlessTorture** · 07-16-2008

Oh, Ok. When i change my username I get all sorts of messages about security errors and policies lol.

Just thought you had a special computer for making tutorials or something

Thanks for the reply

**lgpatton** · 07-17-2008

I have not had my computer very long and have only had access to the internet for about 2 weeks. my son helped setup the internet and at the same time we changed the password. now both of us have forgotten the password he put in the system. it should not be as difficult to get into the computer as this is proving to be. I do not like Vista. someone needs to think about what the everyday person who will be using the system and make a backdoor of some kind for people like me who have very busy lifes and might forget a stupid password!!!!!!!

**PainlessTorture** · 07-17-2008

Quote: Originally Posted by lgpatton

I have not had my computer very long and have only had access to the internet for about 2 weeks. my son helped setup the internet and at the same time we changed the password. now both of us have forgotten the password he put in the system. it should not be as difficult to get into the computer as this is proving to be. I do not like Vista. someone needs to think about what the everyday person who will be using the system and make a backdoor of some kind for people like me who have very busy lifes and might forget a stupid password!!!!!!!

Can you not use another account to change the password?

**Brink** · 07-17-2008

Hi lgpatton,

Method Three in this tutorial will show you how to reset the password and gain access to the administrator account again. Afterwards, you can use Method One to reset the other account's password from the administrator account.

Reset User Account Password

Hope this helps,
Shawn

**mike_mty** · 08-01-2008

is this possible in all vista versions? when i click on advanced option i got a message saying "this computer is not runing home basc and that this complement can not be used with this version...i ..but my computer is runing home basic

**Brink** · 08-01-2008

Hi Mike,

My apologies. lusrmgr.msc is only available for the Vista Business, Ultimate, and Enterprise editions.

Shawn

**Dwarf** · 11-30-2008

Here is an addition to the above Tutorial. The method here works for ALL versions of Vista.
Click on the start orb and type cmd into the search box and press and hold Ctrl, Shift and then press enter/return. You will need to provide administrative credentials to continue. At the prompt , type the following: net user dwarf followed by enter/return. Here is what I get for this command:
Name: Capture.JPG
Views: 10848
Size: 37.2 KB

Name: Capture.JPG
Views: 10848
Size: 37.2 KB

Notice the line User may change password. This is currently set to No.
Again at the command prompt, type the following and press enter/return: net user dwarf /Passwordchg:Yes. Here is what I get with that command:

Finally, repeating this command: net user dwarf
Name: Capture2.JPG
Views: 10814
Size: 35.9 KB

Notice the line User may change password is now set to Yes.
If you wish to prevent the changing of a password, use this command: net user dwarf /Passwordchg:no

Note that I have used my user name Dwarf throughout this explanation. You will, of course, need to substitute the correct user name here.

07-16-2008
PainlessTorture Windows Vista™ Ultimate x64 471 posts Northern Ireland	Re: Password - Prevent or Allow to Change Why is your username not there?
My System Specs

07-16-2008
Brink Vista x64 Ultimate SP2, Windows 7 Ultimate x64 SP1 29,548 posts Texas, USA	Re: Password - Prevent or Allow to Change Hi Fmjc001, It is: User_Name I made mine to this so folks will know where to look for their user name instead. Shawn
My System Specs

07-16-2008
PainlessTorture Windows Vista™ Ultimate x64 471 posts Northern Ireland	Re: Password - Prevent or Allow to Change Oh, Ok. When i change my username I get all sorts of messages about security errors and policies lol. Just thought you had a special computer for making tutorials or something Thanks for the reply
My System Specs

07-17-2008
lgpatton Vista Home Premium 1 posts	Re: Password - Prevent or Allow to Change I have not had my computer very long and have only had access to the internet for about 2 weeks. my son helped setup the internet and at the same time we changed the password. now both of us have forgotten the password he put in the system. it should not be as difficult to get into the computer as this is proving to be. I do not like Vista. someone needs to think about what the everyday person who will be using the system and make a backdoor of some kind for people like me who have very busy lifes and might forget a stupid password!!!!!!!
My System Specs

07-17-2008
PainlessTorture Windows Vista™ Ultimate x64 471 posts Northern Ireland	Re: Password - Prevent or Allow to Change Quote: Originally Posted by lgpatton I have not had my computer very long and have only had access to the internet for about 2 weeks. my son helped setup the internet and at the same time we changed the password. now both of us have forgotten the password he put in the system. it should not be as difficult to get into the computer as this is proving to be. I do not like Vista. someone needs to think about what the everyday person who will be using the system and make a backdoor of some kind for people like me who have very busy lifes and might forget a stupid password!!!!!!! Can you not use another account to change the password?
My System Specs

08-01-2008
mike_mty VISTA HOME BASIC 32BITS 2 posts	Re: Password - Prevent or Allow to Change is this possible in all vista versions? when i click on advanced option i got a message saying "this computer is not runing home basc and that this complement can not be used with this version...i ..but my computer is runing home basic
My System Specs

11-30-2008
Dwarf Windows Vista Ultimate 32-bit & 64-bit both SP2 2,715 posts Doncaster, UK	Re: Password - Prevent or Allow to Change Here is an addition to the above Tutorial. The method here works for ALL versions of Vista. Click on the start orb and type cmd into the search box and press and hold Ctrl, Shift and then press enter/return. You will need to provide administrative credentials to continue. At the prompt , type the following: net user dwarf followed by enter/return. Here is what I get for this command: Notice the line User may change password. This is currently set to No. Again at the command prompt, type the following and press enter/return: net user dwarf /Passwordchg:Yes. Here is what I get with that command: Finally, repeating this command: net user dwarf Notice the line User may change password is now set to Yes. If you wish to prevent the changing of a password, use this command: net user dwarf /Passwordchg:no Note that I have used my user name Dwarf throughout this explanation. You will, of course, need to substitute the correct user name here.
My System Specs

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