Powershell script to change service account - windows

Question

Does anyone have a Powershell script to change the credentials used by a Windows service?

Answer 1

Bit easier - use WMI.
$service = gwmi win32_service -computer [computername] -filter "name='whatever'"
$service.change($null,$null,$null,$null,$null,$null,$null,"P#ssw0rd")
Change the service name appropriately in the filter; set the remote computer name appropriately.

Answer 2

I wrote a function for PowerShell that changes the username, password, and restarts a service on a remote computer (you can use localhost if you want to change the local server). I've used this for monthly service account password resets on hundreds of servers.
You can find a copy of the original at http://www.send4help.net/change-remote-windows-service-credentials-password-powershel-495
It also waits until the service is fully stopped to try to start it again, unlike one of the other answers.
Function Set-ServiceAcctCreds([string]$strCompName,[string]$strServiceName,[string]$newAcct,[string]$newPass){
$filter = 'Name=' + "'" + $strServiceName + "'" + ''
$service = Get-WMIObject -ComputerName $strCompName -namespace "root\cimv2" -class Win32_Service -Filter $filter
$service.Change($null,$null,$null,$null,$null,$null,$newAcct,$newPass)
$service.StopService()
while ($service.Started){
sleep 2
$service = Get-WMIObject -ComputerName $strCompName -namespace "root\cimv2" -class Win32_Service -Filter $filter
}
$service.StartService()
}

Answer 3

The PowerShell 6 version of Set-Service now has the -Credential parameter.
Here is an example:
$creds = Get-Credential
Set-Service -DisplayName "Remote Registry" -Credential $creds
At this point, it is only available via download via GitHub.
Enjoy!

Answer 4

I created a text file "changeserviceaccount.ps1" containing the following script:
$account="domain\user"
$password="passsword"
$service="name='servicename'"
$svc=gwmi win32_service -filter $service
$svc.StopService()
$svc.change($null,$null,$null,$null,$null,$null,$account,$password,$null,$null,$null)
$svc.StartService()
I used this as part of by post-build command line during the development of a windows service:
Visual Studio: Project properties\Build Events
Pre-build event command line:
"C:\WINDOWS\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v2.0.50727\installutil.exe" myservice.exe /u
Post-build event command line:
"C:\WINDOWS\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v2.0.50727\installutil.exe" myservice.exe
powershell -command - < c:\psscripts\changeserviceaccount.ps1

Answer 5

A slight variation on the other scripts here, is below. This one will set credentials for any/all services running under a given login account. It will only attempt to restart the service if it was already running, so that we don't accidentally start a service that was stopped for a reason. The script has to be run from and elevated shell (if the script starts telling you about ReturnValue = 2, you're probably running it un-elevated). Some usage examples are:
all services running as the currently logged in user, on the local host:
.\set-servicecredentials.ps1 -password p#ssw0rd
all services running as user: somedomain\someuser on host somehost.somedomain:
.\set-servicecredentials.ps1 somehost.somedomain somedomain\someuser p#ssw0rd
Set-ServiceCredentials.ps1:
param (
[alias('computer', 'c')]
[string] $computerName = $env:COMPUTERNAME,
[alias('username', 'u')]
[string] $serviceUsername = "$env:USERDOMAIN\$env:USERNAME",
[alias('password', 'p')]
[parameter(mandatory=$true)]
[string] $servicePassword
)
Invoke-Command -ComputerName $computerName -Script {
param(
[string] $computerName,
[string] $serviceUsername,
[string] $servicePassword
)
Get-WmiObject -ComputerName $computerName -Namespace root\cimv2 -Class Win32_Service | Where-Object { $_.StartName -eq $serviceUsername } | ForEach-Object {
Write-Host ("Setting credentials for service: {0} (username: {1}), on host: {2}." -f $_.Name, $serviceUsername, $computerName)
$change = $_.Change($null, $null, $null, $null, $null, $null, $serviceUsername, $servicePassword).ReturnValue
if ($change -eq 0) {
Write-Host ("Service Change() request accepted.")
if ($_.Started) {
$serviceName = $_.Name
Write-Host ("Restarting service: {0}, on host: {1}, to implement credential change." -f $serviceName, $computerName)
$stop = ($_.StopService()).ReturnValue
if ($stop -eq 0) {
Write-Host -NoNewline ("StopService() request accepted. Awaiting 'stopped' status.")
while ((Get-WmiObject -ComputerName $computerName -Namespace root\cimv2 -Class Win32_Service -Filter "Name='$serviceName'").Started) {
Start-Sleep -s 2
Write-Host -NoNewline "."
}
Write-Host "."
$start = $_.StartService().ReturnValue
if ($start -eq 0) {
Write-Host ("StartService() request accepted.")
} else {
Write-Host ("Failed to start service. ReturnValue was '{0}'. See: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa393660(v=vs.85).aspx" -f $start) -ForegroundColor "red"
}
} else {
Write-Host ("Failed to stop service. ReturnValue was '{0}'. See: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa393673(v=vs.85).aspx" -f $stop) -ForegroundColor "red"
}
}
} else {
Write-Host ("Failed to change service credentials. ReturnValue was '{0}'. See: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa384901(v=vs.85).aspx" -f $change) -ForegroundColor "red"
}
}
} -Credential "$env:USERDOMAIN\$env:USERNAME" -ArgumentList $computerName, $serviceUsername, $servicePassword

Answer 6

Considering that whithin this class:
$class=[WMICLASS]'\\.\root\Microsoft\SqlServer\ComputerManagement:SqlService'
there's a method named setserviceaccount(), may be this script will do what you want:
# Copyright Buck Woody, 2007
# All scripts provided AS-IS. No functionality is guaranteed in any way.
# Change Service Account name and password using PowerShell and WMI
$class = Get-WmiObject -computername "SQLVM03-QF59YPW" -namespace
root\Microsoft\SqlServer\ComputerManagement -class SqlService
#This remmed out part shows the services - I'll just go after number 6 (SQL
#Server Agent in my case):
# foreach ($classname in $class) {write-host $classname.DisplayName}
# $class[6].DisplayName
stop-service -displayName $class[6].DisplayName
# Note: I recommend you make these parameters, so that you don't store
# passwords. At your own risk here!
$class[6].SetServiceAccount("account", "password")
start-service -displayName $class[6].DisplayName

Answer 7

Just making #alastairs's comment more visible: the 6th parameter must be $false instead of $null when you use domain accounts:
$service = Get-WMIObject -class Win32_Service -filter "name='serviceName'"
$service.change($null, $null, $null, $null, $null, $false, "DOMAIN\account", "mypassword")
Without that it was working for 4/5 of the services I tried to change, but some refused to be changed (error 21).

Answer 8

$svc = Get-WmiObject win32_service -filter "name='serviceName'"
the position of username and password can change so try this line to find the right place$svc.GetMethodParameters("change")
$svc.change($null,$null,$null,$null,$null,$null,$null,$null,$null,"admin-username","admin-password")

Answer 9

What I cannot find in the default PS stack, I find it implemented in Carbon:
http://get-carbon.org/help/Install-Service.html
http://get-carbon.org/help/Carbon_Service.html (Carbon 2.0 only)

Answer 10

The given answers do the job.
Although, there is another important detail; in order to change the credentials and run the service successfully, you first have to grant that user account permissions to 'Log on as a Service'.
To grant that privilege to a user, use the Powershell script provided here by just providing the username of the account and then run the other commands to update the credentials for a service as mentioned in the other answers, i.e.,
$svc=gwmi win32_service -filter 'Service Name'
$svc.change($null,$null,$null,$null,$null,$null,'.\username','password',$null,$null,$null)

Answer 11

Sc config example. First allowing modify access to a certain target folder, then using the locked down "local service" account. I would use set-service -credential, if I had PS 6 or above everywhere.
icacls c:\users\myuser\appdata\roaming\fahclient /grant "local service:(OI)(CI)(M)"
sc config "FAHClient" obj="NT AUTHORITY\LocalService"