Azure

Quick tip: Reset the password of an Azure Virtual Machine

In my Azure test tenant, I forgot the password of an Azure Windows Domain Controller VM. In Azure, there is a Reset Password option available in the VM options.

 

The password reset update failed. The password reset option uses a VM Access extension. When digging into the activity log I found the following error:

VMAccess Extension does not support Domain Controller

So I went to another approach using the following steps:

Prerequisites:

  • Ensure the VM status is running
  • Create a new password
    • Portal – between 12 – 123 characters
    • PowerShell – between 8 – 123 characters
    • CLI – between 12 – 123
    • Have lower characters
    • Have upper characters
    • Have a digit
    • Have a special character (Regex match [\W_])

Using the Azure portal

    • Log in to the Azure portal
    • Navigate to the Virtual Machine that you want to reset the password for.
    • Select the Virtual Machine
    • Select Run Command
    • Select RunPowerShellScript
    • In the “Run Command Script” window enter:
net user <username> <password>

 

Using Cloud Shell

  • Log in to the Azure portal
  • In the Azure Portal open Cloud Shell
  • Select Bash
  • In the following command change: <vm> <resource group the vm belongs > <username> and <password>
az vm run-command invoke --command-id RunPowerShellScript --name <vm> -g <resource group the VM belongs too> --scripts "net user <username> <password>"

 

 

Using the RunPowerShellScript is a lifesaver when you forgot the password of a Windows Domain Controller VM in Azure. This procedure works also for regular Windows VMs.