Cannot Change Minimum Password Length Windows 10

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Keeping your PC password protected is important, but sometimes you might be unable to update the password. This can be a problem, and in today’s article we’re going to show you how to fix this issue.

Unable to update the password message can cause problems for users, and speaking of this message, here are some similar issues that users reported:

  • Unable to update the password. The value provided as the current password is incorrect – This issue can appear if your new password doesn’t match. To fix the issue, be sure that you carefully and correctly enter your new password in both fields.
  • Unable to update the password the value provided Server 2012 – This issue can occur on Windows Server as well, and it’s usually caused by your security policies. To fix the issue, you need to readjust your policies.
  • Unable to change password does not meet complexity requirements – Sometimes this problem can occur if your password isn’t complex enough. We mentioned in one of our solutions the necessary requirements for a strong password, so be sure to check them out.
  • Unable to update password for computer account – This issue can occur for various reasons, but you should be able to fix the problem with one of our solutions.
  • Windows 10 password doesn’t meet complexity requirements – To fix this problem, you can create a stronger password, or simply disable this security policy.

Unable to update the password. The value provided message on Windows 10 and how to fix it?


  1. Wait for 24 hours and try again
  2. Change Minimum password age policy
  3. Check the password strength
  4. Disable password complexity requirements
  5. Make sure that Change password at next logon option is enabled
  6. Try changing the password from Command Prompt
  7. Install the latest updates

Solution 1 – Wait for 24 hours and try again

If you get Unable to update the password message, this could be due to certain policies on your PC. Some systems allow you to change your password every 24 hours, so if you changed your password recently, and you want to change it again, you won’t be able to do it.

The simplest solution, in this case, is to wait for 24 hours and then try to change the password. Although this is the simplest solution, many users might be impatient and don’t want to wait for 24 hours to change their password. If that’s the case, you can move on to the next solution.

  • READ ALSO: Fix: ‘Can’t sign in. The Windows Live ID or password you entered is not valid’ error on Windows 10

Solution 2 – Change Minimum password age policy

As we mentioned in our previous solution, some PCs have a security policy that allows users to change their password only once in 24 hours. If you keep getting Unable to update the password message on your PC, you might be able to fix this problem simply by changing the Minimum password age policy.

To do so, you just need to edit this policy in Group Policy Editor. Keep in mind that this feature might not be available in Home versions of Windows. To start Group Policy Editor, do the following:

  1. Press Windows Key + R and enter gpedit.msc. Now press Enter or click OK.
    Cannot Change Minimum Password Length Windows 10
  2. When Local Group Policy Editor opens, in the left pane navigate to Computer Configuration > Windows Settings > Security Settings > Account Policies > Password Policy. In the right pane, locate Minimum password age policy and double-click it.
    Cannot Change Minimum Password Length Windows 10
  3. Minimum password age Properties window will now appear. Set the Password can be changed immediately to 0 days. Now click Apply and OK to save changes.
    Cannot Change Minimum Password Length Windows 10

After making this change in Group Policy Editor, you should be able to change your password whenever you want.


Solution 3 – Check the password strength

In order to set a password, it must meet certain criteria. Having a strong password is important since it will prevent malicious users from cracking it. As for the password requirements, these are the necessary requirements:

  • At least six characters in length.
  • Contain uppercase characters.
  • Contain lowercase characters.
  • Contain numeric characters.
  • Contain non-alphabetic characters.

Although these requirements might seem unnecessary to a home user, having a strong password that meets the security standards in a business environment is crucial since it will prevent unauthorized users from accessing your account.

If you don’t want to deal with security standards and password strength, in the following solution we’re going to show you how to completely disable this policy.

  • READ ALSO: Fix: BitLocker password prompt screen problem on Windows 10

Solution 4 – Disable password complexity requirements

As we previously mentioned, sometimes Unable to update the password message can appear if the password doesn’t meet the security standards. This policy is enforced by Group Policy settings, and if you want, you can easily disable it.

Keep in mind that disabling this policy for your network might make it more vulnerable. On the other hand, if you’re not a network administrator and you just want to disable this policy on your PC, you can do so by following these steps:

  1. Open Group Policy Editor.
  2. In the left pane, navigate to Computer Configuration > Windows Settings > Security Settings > Account Policies > Password Policy. In the right pane double-click the Password must meet complexity requirements.
    Cannot Change Minimum Password Length Windows 10
  3. Set this policy to Disabled and click Apply and OK to save changes.
    Cannot Change Minimum Password Length Windows 10

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After disabling this policy, you should be able to set any password that you want, regardless of its complexity. This isn’t the best security policy, but if you have just a single PC in your network, you can disable it. Even if this policy is disabled, it’s still advised to use hard to guess password, just to be on the safe side.


Solution 5 – Make sure that Change password at next logon option is enabled

If you getting Unable to update the password message on your Windows 10 PC, you might be able to fix this problem simply by forcing the user to change its password by enabling Change password at next logon option.

Several users reported that this solution worked for them, but sometimes this feature can leave you on the login screen with the same error message as before. To be on the safe side, make sure that you can access Safe Mode or have a different administrative account available that you can use to disable this feature if anything goes wrong.

To enable this feature, do the following:

  1. Press Windows Key + R and enter lusrmgr.msc. Now press Enter or click OK.
    Cannot Change Minimum Password Length Windows 10
  2. From the left pane, select Users. In the right pane, double-click the account whose password you wish to change.
    Cannot Change Minimum Password Length Windows 10
  3. Uncheck Password never expires option. Now check User must change password at next logon. Click Apply and OK to save changes.
    Cannot Change Minimum Password Length Windows 10

After doing that, you’ll be forced to change your password as soon as you try to login to the selected account. If you can’t change the password on the login screen, you’ll need to go to Safe Mode or use a different account to revert these changes.

  • READ ALSO: FIX: Click Here to Enter Your Most Recent Password in Windows 10, 8.1

Solution 6 – Try changing the password from Command Prompt

If other methods didn’t work and you’re still getting Unable to update the password message, you might be able to fix the problem by trying to change the password using the Command Prompt.

There’s a command available in Command Prompt that allows you to easily manage your user accounts, and we’re going to use it to change the account password. To do that, follow these steps:

  1. Press Windows Key + X to open Win + X menu. You can also open this menu by right-clicking the Start button.
  2. When the menu appears, select Command Prompt (Admin) from the list. If Command Prompt isn’t available, you and also use PowerShell (Admin).
    Cannot Change Minimum Password Length Windows 10
  3. Enter net user User_name * and press Enter. Of course, be sure to replace user_name with the appropriate username. Now you’ll be asked to enter the new password twice.
    Cannot Change Minimum Password Length Windows 10

After doing that, your password should be successfully changed.


Solution 7 – Install the latest updates

Sometimes Unable to update the password message can appear if you don’t have the latest updates installed. There might be a bug or glitch with your system and that can cause this error to appear.

The best way to deal with bugs and glitches, is to keep your system up to date, and speaking of updates, Windows 10 usually installs the missing updates automatically. However, you can also check for updates manually by doing the following:

  1. Open the Settings app. To do that quickly, just press Windows Key + I. When the Settings app opens, go to the Update & Security section.
    Cannot Change Minimum Password Length Windows 10
  2. Click the Check for updates button. Windows will now check for available updates and download them in the background.
    Cannot Change Minimum Password Length Windows 10

Once the updates are installed, check if the problem is still there.

Unable to update the password message can be annoying, but this message is usually caused by your security policy. To fix the problem, be sure that your password matches the security criteria or disable certain security policies.

READ ALSO:

  • How to disable “Do you want Google Chrome to save your password?”
  • How to skip the Windows login screen using these two methods
  • Login screen Windows 10 slow, stuck, frozen [FIX]

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What is the minimum password length for Windows 10?

Set minimum password length to at least a value of 8. If the number of characters is set to 0, no password is required. In most environments, an eight-character password is recommended because it's long enough to provide adequate security and still short enough for users to easily remember.

What is relax minimum password length limits?

If the Relax minimum password length limits setting is defined and disabled, this setting may be configured from 0 to 14. If the Relax minimum password length limits setting is defined and enabled, this setting may be configured from 0 to 128.

Why is there a minimum password age?

Unfortunately, passwords can be compromised and if an attacker is targeting a specific individual user account, with knowledge of data about that user, reuse of old passwords can cause a security breach.

What password length is uncrackable?

Uncrackable passwords use ALL available character types – uppercase, lowercase, numbers, and symbols. The absolute minimum length for an uncrackable password is 11 characters (assuming the password uses a mix of all character types).