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Changing Your UW NetID Password

Remember, when you change your password on any of your UA computer accounts, you change your UW NetID password. The new password will then be in effect on all of your UW NetID services including dial-in modem use, lab access, and any Uniform Access computing accounts you have. Likewise, if you change your UW NetID password here on the Web, you will use this new password for all you computing services.

Three Ways to Change Your Password

From the Web: Change Your UW NetID Password

You can change your password from the UW Technology Web page made secure for that purpose.

From the Main Menu on Homer and Dante

Change your password by pressing O (Other Choices), pressing P (Change Password), and following the instructions. [Note: When you respond to the system prompts for current and new passwords, the passwords will not be displayed on the screen.]

Once you type your current password correctly, set a legitimate new password, and retype your new password without any mistakes, Unix will return its prompt, indicating that the new password is currently in effect and the system is ready to accept subsequent Unix commands.

If you make a mistake in the password assignment sequence, Unix will give you an error message and you must begin again.

Once you change to a new password on one of your Uniform Access accounts, the change takes place automatically on any other UA accounts you have, and to other UW NetID services you are using.

From the Unix prompt on any of your UA Unix Systems

Change your password on other UA computers, or when working at the Unix command line on Homer and Dante, by entering passwd at the Unix prompt.

The system will prompt you first for your current password and then for your new one. Your current password is the one you used at the time you logged on, and your new password is one of your choice.

An example of changing your password at the Unix command line

(The password assignment sequence for a user whose login name is "karl") 
Unix prompt% passwd           (User command)
Changing password for karl    (System response)
Current password:             (System prompt and
                                    non-displaying user response)
New password:                 (System prompt and
                                     non-displaying user response)
Retype new password:          (System prompt and
                                     non-displaying user response)
Unix prompt%                  (System prompt)

To get help or make comments about the information on this page, use the Send a Question to UW Technology Web site.