Set the Minimum Password Length (All Windows)

Registry Guide for Windows
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Registry tweaks, tricks & hacks to optimize, enhance and secure Microsoft Windows.

Set the Minimum Password Length (All Windows)
Category: Home > Security > Login and Authentication

This tweak can be easily applied using WinGuides Tweak Manager.
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You can force Windows to reject passwords that do not meet a minimum password length. Useful to help stop people from using trivial passwords where security is an issue.

Open your registry and find the key below, if the Network sub-key does not already exist then create it.

Create a new binary value named 'MinPwdLen', and set the data to the minimum number of characters required for a password to be accepted.

Note: This does not apply to existing passwords, only new or changed.


(Default)	REG_SZ	(value not set)
MinPwdLen	REG_BINARY	06


	HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Net...

Settings:

User Key: [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\
Network]
System Key: [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\
Network]
Name: MinPwdLen
Type: REG_BINARY (Binary Value)

Disclaimer: Modifying the registry can cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. We cannot guarantee that problems resulting from modifications to the registry can be solved. Use the information provided at your own risk.

Last Modified: September 18, 2002

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