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Password expiration notification emails
Reminding users of expiring passwords reduces the burden on your service desk. When a user changes their password ahead of their expiry date, that’s one less expensive call to your overworked IT staff.
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Send reminder emails to remote users
- Windows users that are off-network don’t receive on-screen password expiration reminders.
- When their password eventually expires, the cached credentials on the local machine can fall out of sync with the new credentials set on Active Directory.
- Our password expiration notification email tool enables IT admins to communicate reminders to all users, even those off VPN. No PowerShell required.
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Customize email notifications
- The password expiry emails are fully customizable. You can define how long prior to the password expiration the emails will be sent, as well as how often they are sent.
- The contents of the email, including the sender address, can also be changed. Increase the email priority, and interval, to emphasize the urgency as the expiration approaches.
- Need to send users in different time zones emails at different times? With Password Notification, you can easily configure time zone settings for different users utilizing Group Policy.
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Reduce the helpdesk burden
- When working remotely, expired passwords can lead to the inability to login or account lockouts. Not only does this hurt end-user productivity, but it also puts a strain on your helpdesk.
- In many organizations the helpdesk cannot securely verify users, especially when they’re working remotely. This insecure user verification can increase your susceptibility to attacks.
- Avoid the problem altogether by making sure off-network users get reminders to change their passwords before they expire.
- Customize email fields, schedule, and content via the GUI interface (no PowerShell required)
- Use Group Policy to target users with different reminder frequency, different email content, or different time zone send times
- Get setup quickly with OOTB templates
- Configure sending via SMTP settings to securely send emails via your own server
Download Specops Password Notification
See how Specops Password Notification can mitigate the impact of expired end-user passwords.
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FAQs
What is Specops Password Notification?
Specops Password Notification is a password expiration reminder tool that helps organizations prevent user lockouts by automatically notifying users when their passwords are about to expire. It saves helpdesk time and reduces downtime, especially for remote users who may not receive on-screen reminders.
How does the tool determine when to send notifications?
The tool compares each user’s pwdLastSet attribute in Active Directory with the maximum password age defined in either the domain’s default policy or a fine-grained password policy. Based on that, it sends reminder emails according to configured Group Policy settings.
Can Specops Password Notification reach remote or off-network users?
Yes. The tool sends notifications via email, ensuring even users not connected to the corporate network or VPN receive timely password expiration reminders.
Do administrators need to use PowerShell to configure it?
No PowerShell scripting is required. All configurations can be done through a graphical user interface (GUI), making setup and management straightforward for IT administrators.
How customizable are the password reminder emails?
The notification emails are fully customizable. Admins can edit the message content, sender address, email priority, and frequency. They can also adjust how long before expiration emails are sent and how often users are reminded as the expiration date approaches.
Can notifications be sent at different times for users in different time zones?
Yes. With Group Policy, administrators can configure time zone settings to ensure that users in different regions receive notifications at appropriate local times.
How can this tool help reduce helpdesk workload?
By reminding users to change their passwords before they expire, Specops Password Notification significantly reduces password-related lockouts and the volume of support calls to the helpdesk. This frees up IT staff and helps maintain secure user verification processes.
Does Specops Password Notification integrate with existing email systems?
Yes. It uses SMTP settings to securely send notification emails through your organization’s existing mail server or relay.
Are there pre-built templates available?
Yes. The solution includes out-of-the-box (OOTB) email templates that help administrators get started quickly, which can then be customized as needed.
Can administrators target specific users or groups with different settings?
Yes. Using Group Policy, you can configure different reminder intervals, email content, or delivery times for different user groups or organizational units (OUs).
What are the main benefits of using Specops Password Notification?
- Prevents user lockouts and productivity loss
- Reduces helpdesk workload and costs
- Ensures remote users receive timely reminders
- Supports flexible, policy-based configuration
- Enables secure and reliable password management communication
How is Specops Password Notification deployed?
The tool is typically deployed via Group Policy in Active Directory environments. Installation is straightforward and does not require major infrastructure changes.
What permissions are required to configure the tool?
Administrative privileges are required to access Group Policy settings and configure SMTP options. End users do not need any special permissions.
Does the tool affect Active Directory performance?
No. It performs lightweight queries against Active Directory attributes and policies, with negligible performance impact even in large environments.
Can it be used with fine-grained password policies?
Yes. Specops Password Notification automatically detects and applies the appropriate fine-grained password policy for each user.
How are email notifications secured?
Emails are sent through your organization’s existing SMTP server and can be configured to use SSL or TLS encryption to ensure secure delivery.
How many users can it support?
The solution scales easily for organizations of any size—from small businesses to large enterprises—depending on server capacity and email infrastructure.
Is it compatible with hybrid or cloud environments like Microsoft 365?
Yes. While it reads attributes from on-premises Active Directory, it can still notify users in hybrid or cloud-connected environments through standard email delivery. However, if it is a native Entra environment and therefore the user does not exist in an On Prem AD, it cannot be used.
Does it work across multiple domains or forests?
Yes, it can support multiple domains when deployed separately within each domain or configured according to the organization’s AD structure.
How does the tool improve security?
By reminding users to update passwords before expiration, it prevents insecure helpdesk verification processes and reduces account lockouts, improving overall security hygiene.
Does it provide logs or audit records?
Administrators can enable logging to monitor which users received notifications and when, providing visibility for auditing and troubleshooting.
Is any user data stored externally?
No. All user data and email content remain within your organization’s network. Specops Password Notification does not transmit or store information externally.
Does the solution help with compliance requirements?
Yes. By enforcing proactive password maintenance, it supports compliance with standards such as NIST, ISO 27001, and GDPR.
What kind of support is available for administrators?
Specops provides detailed documentation, knowledge base articles, and direct technical support to assist with setup and troubleshooting.
How long does setup take?
Most organizations can fully deploy and configure the tool within an hour using the included out-of-the-box templates.
Do users need to install anything?
No. All configuration and delivery are handled centrally by IT administrators. End users simply receive the email notifications.
Can the emails be branded with company logos or colors?
No. However, Administrators can easily customize the text and tone of notifications to match the organization’s communication style.