Managing Linux User Password Expiration

This article explains how to manage user password expiration (aging) in Linux.

• last change (-d): Days since the password was last changed
• min days (-m): Minimum number of days before the password can be changed
• max days (-M): Maximum number of days before the password must be changed
• warn days (-W): Number of days before expiration to warn the user
• password expiration date: The date the password expires
• inactive days (-l): Number of days the account remains after the password expires
• inactive date: The date the account becomes inactive

You can change the above settings using the chage command.

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chage -m 0 -M 60 -W 7 -l 30

Other useful chage command usages:

• Force password change at next login

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chage -d 0 username

• Display current settings

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chage -l username

• Set account to expire on a specific date

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chage -E YYYY-MM-DD username

Other user account related commands:

• Lock and unlock accounts

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usermod -L username
usermod -U username