---
name: "lchage"
section: "1"
platform: "linux"
package: "libuser"
version: "1:0.64+git20241106~dfsg-3"
release: "Debian 13 (Trixie)"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/lchage"
---

# lchage(1)

Display or change user password policy

## NAME

lchage - Display or change user password policy

## SYNOPSIS

lchage \[*OPTION*\]... *user*

## DESCRIPTION

Displays or allows changing password policy of *user*.

## OPTIONS

- **-d**, **--date**=*days*

  Set the date of last password change to *days* after Jan 1 1970.

  Set *days* to -1 to disable password expiration (i.e. to ignore **--mindays**, and **--maxdays** and related settings).

  Set *days* to 0 to enforce password change on next login. (This also disables password expiration until the password is changed.)

- **-E**, **--expire**=*days*

  Set the account expiration date to *days* after Jan 1 1970. Set *days* to -1 to disable account expiration.

- **-i**, **--interactive**

  Ask all questions when connecting to the user database, even if default answers are set up in **libuser** configuration.

- **-I**, **--inactive**=*days*

  Disable the account after *days* after password expires (after the user is required to change the password). Set *days* to -1 to keep the account enabled indefinitely after password expiration.

- **-l**, **--list**

  Only list current *user*'s policy and make no changes.

- **-m**, **--mindays**=*days*

  Require at least *days* days between password changes. Set *days* to 0 or -1 to disable this requirement.

  If this value is larger than the value set by **--maxdays**, the user cannot change the password.

- **-M**, **--maxdays**=*days*

  Require changing the password after *days* since last password change. Set *days* to -1 to disable password expiration.

- **-W**, **--warndays**=*days*

  Start warning the user *days* before password expires (before the user is required to change the password). Set *days* to 0 or -1 to disable the warning.

## EXIT STATUS

The exit status is 0 on success, nonzero on error.

## NOTES

Note that “account expiration” (set by **--expire**) is distinct from “password expiration” (set by **--maxdays**). Account expiration happens on a fixed date regardless of password changes. Password expiration is relative to the date of last password change.