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Change Your Password

UCSF policy requires you to change your e-mail password every 6 months. You also might want to change your e-mail password if you suspect someone may have gained access to your password.

When you change your e-mail password, your password for logging in to computers in the IRC computer lab is also changed -- they are the same password, and they are synchronized.

To Change Your E-mail Password

  1. Have a new password in mind. UCSF policy requires that your new password:
    • must have at least 7 characters.
    • must not contain your account name or more than 2 consecutive characters of your full name.
    • must contain characters from 3 of the following 4 categories:
      • English uppercase characters (A to Z)
      • English lowercase characters (a to z)
      • base 10 digits (0 to 9)
      • symbol characters (e.g., !, $, #, %).

    See AD Password Protocols for complete details. Also see how to choose a password for additional strategies in selecting a new password.

  2. Visit UCSF Active Directory Account Manager.
  3. If you have not yet enrolled in this system, follow the instructions to enroll.
  4. Follow the instructions that appear to change your password.
  5. If you are changing your password from a Windows computer in the IRC computer lab, log out of the computer.
  6. Test that your new password works for (a) logging in to Windows computers in the IRC computer lab, and (b) logging in to your UCSF e-mail account. If your new password doesn't work, try your old password, which might still work for the next several hours until all the servers have synchronized.
  7. Store your new password in a secure location. We strongly recommend using a password manager.

To Resolve Problems

To resolve problems with changing your password, contact UCSF Customer Support at 415/514-4100 (Option 2). If possible, be at an internet-connected computer with your web browser open.

More Information

Learn how to manage your passwords easily, securely, and effectively.

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