Passcode settings and limits
Use this page to look up the passcode settings in the web console, their defaults and permitted values, the rules that apply to every passcode, and exactly when users are reminded that their passcode is about to expire or has expired. To turn passcodes on, see Set up passcode authentication. For background, see How passcode authentication works.
Settings
These settings apply to every user in your organization. Location: Secure > Settings > Passcode Settings
| Setting | Options | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Enable Passcode Release | On or off. Turns passcode authentication on or off for your organization. | Off |
| Character complexity | Numeric (digits only), Alphabetic (letters only) or Alphanumeric (letters and digits). Controls which characters passcodes contain. | Numeric |
| Passcode length | 6 to 10 characters. Controls how many characters passcodes contain. | 6 |
| Passcode Expiry | Never Expires, Expires in 15 Minutes, or Expires in X Days (1 to 365 days). Controls how long a passcode stays valid after it’s created. See Expiry options. | Never Expires |
Expiry options
Each option in Passcode Expiry sets how long a passcode can be used at a printer, counted from when it’s created or reset.
| Option | Passcode is valid for | Typical use | Expiry reminders |
|---|---|---|---|
| Never Expires | Until the user resets it | A long-term alternative to a card | None |
| Expires in 15 Minutes | 15 minutes | Single-use, short-term access. The user generates a passcode, uses it once and then forgets it. | None |
| Expires in X Days | The number of days you enter, from 1 to 365 | Making users replace their passcode regularly | Yes. See Expiry reminders. |
Passcode limits
These rules apply whatever settings you choose.
| Item | Behavior |
|---|---|
| Passcodes per user | One. Resetting a passcode replaces the old one. |
| Display | Shown once, when the passcode is created or reset. Passcodes aren’t sent by email. |
| Where users get a passcode | Print Scout (automatically, at first sign-in), User Portal (if turned on) or the HP Secure Print mobile app |
| Where users reset a passcode | HP Secure Print desktop app (if Print Scout is installed), User Portal (if turned on) or the HP Secure Print mobile app |
| After expiry | The passcode can’t be used at a printer. The user must reset it to get a new one. The User Portal and the HP Secure Print mobile app show that the passcode has expired. |
| Expired for more than 30 days | Print Scout treats the passcode as inactive, and the user must create a new one. |
Expiry reminders
Expiry reminders appear in Print Scout, on users’ workstations, and in the HP Secure Print mobile app. Each reminder includes a Reset button that starts sign-in and generates a new passcode. The User Portal also shows a banner, following the same rules.
Which reminders users get
Whether users get reminders depends on the Passcode Expiry setting. Advance warnings give users time to reset before their passcode stops working. The expired reminder tells them it already has.
| Passcode Expiry setting | Advance warnings | Expired reminder |
|---|---|---|
| Never Expires | No | No |
| Expires in 15 Minutes | No | No |
| Expires in X Days, fewer than 7 days | No | Yes |
| Expires in X Days, 7 days or more | Yes, once a day during the last 7 days before expiry | Yes |
Reminder messages
Print Scout shows one of these messages, depending on how close the passcode is to expiry. Each message includes a Reset button.
| When | Message |
|---|---|
| 2 to 7 days before expiry | “Your passcode will expire in N days. Please reset it now to avoid losing access.” |
| Last day before expiry | “Your passcode will expire today. Please reset it now to avoid losing access.” |
| After expiry | “Your passcode has expired. Click on the Reset button to generate a new passcode” |
In the HP Secure Print mobile app, users who don’t have a passcode, or whose passcode has expired, see a Reset Passcode prompt: “You don’t have a passcode or it is already expired. Click on the Reset button below to generate your passcode.” The prompt has Reset and Cancel buttons and a Do not remind me again option.
Before the passcode expires, the HP Secure Print mobile app shows an advance warning in the same Reset Passcode prompt, for example: “Your passcode will expire in 11 days. Please reset it now to avoid losing access.” It also has a Do not remind me again checkbox. Users select the checkbox and tap Confirm to turn off reminders.
When reminders appear
On workstations, these events show a Print Scout reminder if one is due:
- the scheduled daily check, 24 hours after the last reminder was shown
- the user signing out of their Windows or macOS account and signing back in
- the user quitting the HP Secure Print desktop app and starting it again.
Print Scout also checks at other times, such as when the screen is unlocked, but a reminder appears at most once every 24 hours whatever triggers the check. A user who dismisses a reminder won’t see it again that day.
Do not remind me again
Users can select Do not remind me again in the Print Scout reminder, or in the HP Secure Print mobile app’s Reset Passcode prompt, to turn off reminders for their current passcode, without help from an administrator. It’s useful for users who rarely use their passcode. There’s no setting for it in the web console: the option appears in the reminder when the workstation runs a supported version of Print Scout, and in the HP Secure Print mobile app.
| Item | Behavior |
|---|---|
| What it stops | Both advance warnings and the expired reminder, for the current passcode, whatever triggers the check |
| Where users turn it on | The Do not remind me again checkbox in a Print Scout reminder or the HP Secure Print mobile app’s Reset Passcode prompt, or the Suppress passcode expiration reminders toggle on the User Portal Passcode page |
| Where it’s stored | As one preference for each user in HP Insights, not on the workstation. Turning it on in one place stops reminders everywhere, including on every workstation the user signs in to. |
| When it resets | When the user resets their passcode. Reminders start again for the new passcode. |
| Requires | Windows Print Scout 8.5 or later, Mac Print Scout 3.0 or later, or HP Secure Print mobile app 3.2.0 or later |
The same setting appears in the User Portal as the Suppress passcode expiration reminders toggle, under Notification Settings on the Passcode page. It’s one preference for each user: turning it on in Print Scout, the HP Secure Print mobile app or the User Portal stops reminders in all three. The toggle appears only when passcodes expire after a number of days. See Turn off passcode reminders in the User Portal.
Turning off reminders doesn’t stop the passcode from expiring. Users can still reset their passcode at any time.
Print Scout version requirements
The Print Scout reminder features below need the listed version or later on each workstation. On workstations running an older version, the feature doesn’t appear, but users can still reset their passcode from the User Portal or the mobile app.
| Feature | Windows Print Scout | Mac Print Scout |
|---|---|---|
| Expiry reminders, with the Reset button | 8.2 or later | 2.30 or later |
| No reminders for passcodes that expire in 15 minutes. Earlier versions may show reminders for these passcodes. | 8.4 or later | 2.32 or later |
| Do not remind me again | 8.5 or later | 3.0 or later |
In the HP Secure Print mobile app, Do not remind me again needs version 3.2.0 or later.
Known limitations
- On a newly installed Windows workstation, no reminder appears the first time the user signs in. The first reminder appears at the next daily check, 24 hours later. If the user’s passcode expires in the meantime, they can still reset it from the User Portal or the mobile app.