When discussing password practices for SharePoint, the strategies differ fundamentally depending on whether you are using SharePoint Online (Microsoft 365) or SharePoint Server (On-Premises).
Modern identity guidelines have completely shifted away from traditional password rotations. Today, the primary best practice is to eliminate periodic password expiration entirely for standard user accounts, shifting focus to Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) and behavioral protections. 🔑 User Accounts: The Shift to “Never Expire”
Modern security bodies like NIST (SP 800-63B) and major cloud providers have proven that arbitrary password expiration policies (e.g., forcing a reset every 90 days) do more harm than good. Users forced to change passwords frequently choose highly predictable patterns (e.g., Spring2026!, followed by Summer2026!). For SharePoint Online (Microsoft 365)
Disable Password Expiration: Keep the default setting where passwords never expire. You can verify or change this by navigating to the Settings > Org Settings > Security & privacy tab inside the Microsoft 365 Admin Center.
Enforce MFA: Rely on Multi-Factor Authentication instead of rotations. A unique password paired with conditional access is drastically safer than a rotating password without MFA.
Turn on Banned Password Lists: Utilize Microsoft Entra Password Protection to dynamically block commonly guessed phrases, characters, or company-specific keywords. For SharePoint Server (On-Premises / Active Directory) Password policy recommendations – Microsoft 365 admin
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