A user's password has expired. The account is enabled, licensed and not locked out, yet the user cannot sign in to any application. What should be attempted first?
Show answer and explanation
Answer: A
When a password expires, the account still exists and is enabled, but authentication fails because the credential is no longer valid. The user must set a new password, either through self-service password reset if the feature is enabled and the user has registered the required methods, or through an administrator or helpdesk reset. After the reset, existing sessions and tokens may need to be refreshed. Nothing about the described symptoms points to licensing, device enrolment or account state.
Why the other options are wrong
- B. The account is already enabled, so there is nothing to re-enable. Expired passwords are not re-enabled by waiting; the credential itself must be replaced.
- C. Licensing problems prevent access to specific services and produce their own error messages. They do not invalidate the password or block all sign-ins in this way.
- D. Device registration affects Conditional Access compliance and device-based controls. It cannot repair an expired password.
Exam tip. Expired password equals a credential problem, not an account-state problem.