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How to: Change Active Directory user passwords remotely

The following is a comparison between the steps involved in changing local user passwords remotely with Windows PowerShell and ADSelfService Plus, a comprehensive password management tool:

With PowerShell
  • Change the Active Directory password for a user account

    Executing this code will reset the password for a single user in Azure Active Directory.

    $Password = Read-Host -AsSecureString $UserAccount = Get-LocalUser -Name "User02" $UserAccount | Set-LocalUser -Password $Password
  • Allow users to change their passwords themselves, based on OU and group membership

    No supported.

With ADSelfService Plus
  • Self-service change password
    • Go to ADSelfService Plus admin portal.
    • Navigate to Configuration > Self-Service > Policy Configuration.
    • Select Change Password.
      Steps to change local user passwords remotely using ADSelfService Plus
    • Click Select OUs/Groups to granularly select which set of users need to be empowered with change password option.
      Steps to select the OUs and groups for local user password change using ADSelfService Plus
    • Click Save.

Once the password change option is configured in ADSelfService Plus, all users can securely change their Active Directory password from the end-user portal.

Steps to change password using the ADSelfService Plus web-based portal

With ADSelfService Plus, even the VPN and OWA users can change their passwords remotely through a secure web-portal. That means, ADSelfService Plus also updates the cached credentials stored on the user’s machine.

Using PowerShell to change local user password remotely

Step 1: Verify the target computer connection

Ensure the target computer is reachable. The script below confirms if RemotePC is online.

Test-Connection -ComputerName "RemotePC" -Count 2

Step 2: Change the local user password

Set a new password for a local user. This changes the password for LocalUser on the local machine.

$Password = ConvertTo-SecureString "NewPassword123!" -AsPlainText -Force Set-LocalUser -Name "LocalUser" -Password $Password

Step 3: Change the password on a remote machine

Use PowerShell remoting to change the password remotely. This updates LocalUser’s password on RemotePC.

Invoke-Command -ComputerName "RemotePC" -ScriptBlock {
$Password = ConvertTo-SecureString "NewPassword123!" -AsPlainText -Force
Set-LocalUser -Name "LocalUser" -Password $Password
}

Step 4: Apply to multiple computers

Update passwords on multiple computers. The script below updates LocalUser's password on all specified computers.

$computers = @("PC1", "PC2", "PC3")
foreach ($computer in $computers) {
Invoke-Command -ComputerName $computer -ScriptBlock {
$Password = ConvertTo-SecureString "NewPassword123!" -AsPlainText -Force
Set-LocalUser -Name "LocalUser" -Password $Password
}
}

FAQs

1. How do I reset a local user password remotely?

Run the script below to reset a local user password remotely. Replace RemotePC with the actual remote system.

Invoke-Command -ComputerName RemotePC -ScriptBlock { net user Administrator "NewPass@123" }

2. Can I change passwords on multiple remote machines?

Yes, you can change passwords on multiple remote machines by running the script below.

$computers = @("PC1", "PC2", "PC3")
Invoke-Command -ComputerName $computers -ScriptBlock { net user Administrator "NewPass@123" }

3. Do I need admin rights to reset a local user password remotely?

Yes, you must run PowerShell as an administrator.

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