How to: disable the password policy requirements on Windows Server 2003

If you are running a Windows Server 2003 development sandbox running the Active Directory Services you may or may not decide to disable the need for passwords.

Out of the box you may find the Windows Server 2003 password policy requirements too harsh:

• At least 6 characters
• At least one alphabetic character (a-z, A-Z)
• At least one numeric character (0-9)
• At least one non-alphanumeric character (%, _ ...)

If the password policy requirements are not met when adding a new user and setting the password you will get the following message box:

Here are the steps to disable it (and I strongly recommend you do NOT to this on a production server):

Start the Default Domain Security Settings: Start -> All Programs -> Administrative Tools -> Domain Security Policy

Navigate to: Account Policies -> Password Policy

Double-click "Minimum Password Length"

Hit "OK"

Set the number of characters to 0, which will disable the requirement for passwords

Double-click "Password must meet complexity requirements"

Click "Disabled"

Hit "OK"

Double-click on "Enforce Password History"

Replace "24" with "0"

Hit "OK"

Pronto, dessa forma não haverão mais policies referentes a senhas.