Troubleshoot error SSPR_009: Synchronized Microsoft Entra Administrator can't reset password from the cloud

This article explains how to troubleshoot a password reset error that occurs when a synchronized user who has a Microsoft Entra Administrator role tries unsuccessfully to reset their password.

This scenario occurs after the user visits the sign-in page at https://login.microsoftonline.com and selects Can't access your account?, Forgot my password, or reset it now. Then, the browser redirects the user to the self-service password reset (SSPR) page at https://passwordreset.microsoftonline.com to start the SSPR process. This process requires that the user enter a "captcha" code. If the operation is successful, password writeback sends a password reset request for the user to an on-premises Active Directory domain. Simultaneously, SSPR sets the new password in Microsoft Entra ID. If the operation is unsuccessful, an "SSPR_009" error is returned instead. If the error occurs, use this article to fix the problem.

Symptoms

After a synchronized user tries unsuccessfully to reset a password by entering a captcha code, the browser displays the following error message:

You can't reset your own password because password reset isn't turned on for your organization.

SSPR_009: Your organization hasn't turned on password reset. If you're an administrator, you can get more information from the "How to enable password reset" article. If you're not an administrator, you can provide this information when you contact your administrator.

Note

This scenario occurs only for Microsoft Entra users who have a Microsoft Entra Administrator role assigned to them. The password change or reset flow works as expected for standard accounts.

Cause

SSPR for Administrators isn't enabled on the tenant. SSPR for Administrators (SSPR-A) was the first implementation of SSPR. After SSPR for Users (SSPR-U) was introduced, users could have two separate configurations.

The old SSPR-A implementation is used when a Microsoft Entra account has an admin role, such as Global Administrator or Billing Administrator. However, the SSPR management on the Azure portal is for SSPR-U only. Therefore, SSPR-A might not be enabled on the tenant.

Solution

Enable SSPR-A on the tenant by running the Set-MsolCompanySettings PowerShell cmdlet, as follows:

Set-MsolCompanySettings -SelfServePasswordResetEnabled $true

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