Troubleshoot Password Sync

If the automatic troubleshooting step doesn't resolve your problem, or if you couldn't run the Password Sync Support Tool, you can collect the troubleshooting information manually. Note that some steps in this list require running console commands.

Open a Command Prompt (CMD) window

1. In the Start menu, click Windows SystemCommand Prompt.
2. (Optional) Depending on your system, you might need to right-click Command Prompt and click MoreRun as administrator.

First, complete these steps

• Make sure you're a member of the Domain Admins group.
• List your domain controllers. To do so, run the command nltest /dclist:your-ad-domain.com, replacing your-ad-domain.com with the name of your Active Directory domain.

Complete these steps on each domain controller

1. Make sure the correct version of Password Sync (32-bit or 64-bit) is installed on the server.
2. Restart the server after installing Password Sync.
3. Check you can access https://www.googleapis.com/ using Microsoft Internet Explorer, the Chromium-based version of Microsoft Edge, or the Google Chrome browser. It's OK if this page shows a Google error or displays "Not Found." Make sure the page doesn't show a certificate error or any requests for proxy authentication. Authenticated proxy servers are not supported.
4. Copy your current user's proxy settings to the system-wide proxy settings by running the command: netsh winhttp import proxy ie
5. If you aren't using a proxy server, but are encountering proxy-related issues, run the command: bitsadmin /util /setieproxy networkservice no_proxy
6. Check the Password Sync DLL is registered on the machine by running the command: reg query HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Lsa /v "Notification Packages"

   The output should include the text password_sync_dll. If it doesn't, reinstall Password Sync.

7. Verify the Password Sync DLL is loaded by running the command: tasklist /m password_sync_dll.dll

   The process "lsass.exe" should be listed in the results. If it isn't listed, the DLL isn't loaded. Verify the DLL is registered and the edition (32-bit or 64-bit) matches the system. Then, restart the machine so the DLL loads.

8. Check the Password Sync service has started by running the command: sc query "Password Sync".

   If you're using Password Sync versions 1.6.13–1.7.6, replace Password Sync with G Suite Password Sync.

   If you're using version 1.6 or earlier, replace Password Sync with Google Apps Password Sync.

   If the query output says:

   • STATE: RUNNING—The service is running.
   • STATE: STOPPED—The service isn't running.

     Run the command: sc start "Password Sync".

     If you're using Password Sync versions 1.6.13–1.7.6, replace Password Sync with G Suite Password Sync.

     If you're using version 1.6 or earlier, replace Password Sync with Google Apps Password Sync.

      

   • The specified service does not exist as an installed service—The service isn't installed.

     Complete the steps in Configure Password Sync. The summary screen of the configuration tool should now confirm the service is running.

9. Make sure your network and proxy settings are set up correctly. Learn more

You can use the security investigation tool:

1. In your Google Admin console, run a search for Admin log events.

   For details, go to Admin log events.

2. Add a filter to search for Password Change events.
3. Run the search and examine the results. Note that the name of the actor attached to the event depends on how you set up Password Sync. If you used the:
   • UI interface—The actor displays as the administrator's email address that you entered.
   • Command line—The actor displays as the email address used for the parameter with the command --admin_email.

If some users' passwords aren't synchronized, make sure:

• You have installed Password Sync successfully on all of your domain's Microsoft Active Directory servers (domain controllers). On Microsoft Windows Server 2008 and above, you only need to install Password Sync on writable domain controllers. If you're not sure, install Password Sync on all of your domain controllers. Doing so won't cause any issues.
• The administrator privileges for the user whose update was unsuccessful doesn't exceed those of the administrator email address entered in the Password Sync configuration. User accounts with fewer privileges can't change passwords on accounts with more privileges. For example, an account with delegated administrator privileges can't update passwords for accounts with super administrator privileges.
• Your users have email addresses in the attribute you specified under Mail Attribute during configuration. These addresses must match their Google primary email addresses exactly (including the domain part of the address).
• The password meets the username and group name guidelines. If a password doesn't sync because it contains unsupported characters, Password Sync logs a warning to the Windows Application event log. For example:

  Log Name: Application
Source: GoogleAppsPasswordSync
Event ID: 40963
Level: Warning
Contents: An attempt to change the password for user USERNAME was made. However, the new password contains unsupported characters. The password can not be updated on the Google Account, and will be out of sync with Active Directory.

To install Password Sync, you must be a member of the Domain Admins group in Active Directory. Being a member of the Administrators group does not provide sufficient authorization.

You must sign in to Windows as a domain administrator in the same domain as the domain controller you’re setting up. If you sign in as a domain administrator from a different domain (such as an Enterprise Admin from another domain, or an administrator from a trusted domain) you won't be authorized to install or configure Password Sync.

Check that your setup:

• Is running the installer locally (not over a network)
• Has the right version of Password Sync for your server's architecture (32-bit or 64-bit)

Make sure you have granted app access control to Google Workspace services. Learn more

Password Sync supports proxy connections if you set up system-wide proxy settings on all of your domain controllers:

1. Make sure the current user's proxy settings are set up correctly by navigating to https://www.googleapis.com/ in Internet Explorer, the Chromium-based version of Edge, or the Chrome browser.

   If you're redirected to a google.com page or a page saying "Not Found," your proxy settings are probably correct. If there’s an authentication prompt or certificate error, your proxy settings might not be correct.

2. Execute the following command in the command prompt: netsh winhttp import proxy ie.
3. (Optional) If you aren't using a proxy server, but are still encountering proxy-related issues, run the command bitsadmin /util /setieproxy networkservice no_proxy in the command prompt. This command sets Windows to ignore any autodiscovered proxy configuration that might be present in the system.

Note:

• Password Sync supports unauthenticated proxies only. If your proxy requires authentication (Basic, Kerberos, or NTLM), you need to configure it to allow unauthenticated or direct connections from your domain controllers to the URLs and ports specified in Set up your domain controllers.
• Although Password Sync supports proxy connections, you might need to turn on a direct connection to make sure the proxy server doesn't cause issues. Since a proxy configuration depends on your local setup, Google Workspace Support cannot assist you with configuration issues. Contact your network administrator if you encounter any proxy issues.

This error indicates Password Sync couldn't verify your authorization. Check your proxy settings and make sure your network allows connections to the URLs required by Password Sync.

There’s currently a token limit per user account per client when using 3-legged OAuth to authenticate your Google domain. If the limit is reached, creating a token automatically invalidates the oldest token without warning. Learn more

To avoid token limits, you should use a service account, rather than 3-legged OAuth. For details, go to Choose your authentication method.