Modifies the password of an Active Directory account.
Active Directory · Risk: High · Documentation Verified
Last verified: 2026-10-26
Microsoft ActiveDirectory reference: Modifies the password of an Active Directory account. The syntax and selected example below are adapted from the pinned Windows Server 2025 reference. Module availability, target configuration and delegated permissions determine whether it can run in your environment. Documentation and parameter text: Microsoft, CC BY 4.0; formatting adapted by Cmdlet World. No execution testing is claimed.
Use an account with the target resource permissions documented for Set-ADAccountPassword. Modifying administrative cmdlets may require elevation or delegated administration. This catalog does not assert that ordinary users can execute the command.
Supported environments
Windows / ActiveDirectory · Windows Server 2025 documentation; feature/module prerequisites apply
Parameters
-AuthType
Specifies the authentication method to use. The acceptable values for this parameter are: - Negotiate or 0 - Basic or 1 The default authentication method is Negotiate. A Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) connection is required for the Basic authentication method.
-Confirm
Prompts you for confirmation before running the cmdlet.
-Credential
Specifies the user account credentials to use to perform this task. The default credentials are the credentials of the currently logged on user unless the cmdlet is run from an Active Directory module for Windows PowerShell provider drive. If the cmdlet is run from such a provider drive, the account associated with the drive is the default. To specify this parameter, you can type a user name, such as User1 or Domain01\User01 or you can specify a PSCredential object. If you specify a user name for this parameter, the cmdlet prompts for a password. You can also create a PSCredential object by using a script or by using the Get-Credential cmdlet. You can then set the *Credential* parameter to the PSCredential object. If the acting credentials do not have directory-level permission to perform the task, Active Directory module for Windows PowerShell returns a terminating error.
-Identity (required)
Specifies an Active Directory user object by providing one of the following property values. The identifier in parentheses is the Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) display name for the attribute. The acceptable values for this parameter are: - A distinguished name - A GUID (objectGUID) - A security identifier (objectSid) - A SAM account name (sAMAccountName) The cmdlet searches the default naming context or partition to find the object. If two or more objects are found, the cmdlet returns a non-terminating error. This parameter can also get this object through the pipeline or you can set this parameter to an object instance.
-NewPassword
Specifies a new password value. This value is stored as an encrypted string.
-OldPassword
Specifies the most recent password value. This value is processed as an encrypted string.
-Partition
Specifies the distinguished name of an Active Directory partition. The distinguished name must be one of the naming contexts on the current directory server. The cmdlet searches this partition to find the object defined by the *Identity* parameter. In many cases, a default value is used for the *Partition* parameter if no value is specified. The rules for determining the default value are given below. Note that rules listed first are evaluated first and once a default value can be determined, no further rules are evaluated. In Active Directory Domain Services environments, a default value for Partition is set in the following cases: - If the *Identity* parameter is set to a distinguished name, the default value of *Partition* is automatically generated from this distinguished name. - If running cmdlets from an Active Directory provider drive, the default value of *Partition* is automatically generated from the current path in the drive. - If none of the previous cases apply, the default value of *Partition* is set to the default partition or naming context of the target domain. In AD LDS environments, a default value for *Partition* is set in the following cases: - If the *Identity* parameter is set to a distinguished name, the default value of is automatically generated from this distinguished name. - If running cmdlets from an Active Directory provider drive, the default value of *Partition* is automatically generated from the current path in the drive. - If the target AD LDS instance has a default naming context, the default value of *Partition* is set to the default naming context. To specify a default naming context for an AD LDS environment, set the msDS-defaultNamingContext property of the Active Directory directory service agent object (nTDSDSA) for the AD LDS instance. - If none of the previous cases apply, the *Partition* parameter will not take any default
-PassThru
Returns an object representing the item with which you are working. By default, this cmdlet does not generate any output.
-Reset
Specifies to reset the password on an account. When you use this parameter, you must set the *NewPassword* parameter. You do not need to specify the *OldPassword* parameter.
-Server
Specifies the Active Directory Domain Services instance to connect to, by providing one of the following values for a corresponding domain name or directory server. The service may be any of the following: Active Directory Lightweight Domain Services, Active Directory Domain Services or Active Directory snapshot instance. Domain name values: - Fully qualified domain name (FQDN) - NetBIOS name Directory server values: - Fully qualified directory server name - NetBIOS name - Fully qualified directory server name and port The default value for the *Server* parameter is determined by one of the following methods in the order that they are listed: - By using *Server* value from objects passed through the pipeline. - By using the server information associated with the Active Directory provider drive, when running under that drive. - By using the domain of the computer running Windows PowerShell.
-WhatIf
Shows what would happen if the cmdlet runs. The cmdlet is not run.
Prerequisites
Windows with the ActiveDirectory module and the Windows feature or management tools that provide it. Confirm target connectivity and version compatibility using the linked Microsoft reference.
Security considerations
This cmdlet changes system state. Review every target and parameter in the official reference, test outside production, and prepare an appropriate backup or rollback. Do not execute the example automatically.
Examples
Example 3: Prompt a specified user to change their password
Set-ADAccountPassword -Identity EvanNa
This command sets the password of the user account with DistinguishedName CN=Evan Narvaez,CN=Users,DC=Fabrikam,DC=com. The cmdlet prompts you for old and new passwords. Source: Microsoft, CC BY 4.0; transcript prompt/output removed. This example was not executed.