How to change user password in PostgreSQL?

Richard C.

The Problem

In PostgreSQL, how do you change a user’s password? And how do you reset the superuser password if you forget it?

The Solution

To change a user’s password you need to be logged into PostgreSQL as a user with superuser or alter role permissions. Then run this command in your SQL terminal:

ALTER USER username WITH PASSWORD 'pword';

If you are working in a terminal and want to log in as the default postgres user to do the above, use:

psql -U postgres

If you have forgotten your postgres user password and need to reset it, you can run the following command in a terminal:

sudo -u postgres psql

Now in psql enter the command to change your password.

\password

Enter and confirm your new superuser password.

If you are on Windows you do not have access to su and may need to change your localhost machine to trusted in the file pg_hba.conf.

Loved by over 4 million developers and more than 90,000 organizations worldwide, Sentry provides code-level observability to many of the world’s best-known companies like Disney, Peloton, Cloudflare, Eventbrite, Slack, Supercell, and Rockstar Games. Each month we process billions of exceptions from the most popular products on the internet.

Share on Twitter
Bookmark this page
Ask a questionJoin the discussion

Related Answers

A better experience for your users. An easier life for your developers.

    TwitterGitHubDribbbleLinkedinDiscord
© 2024 • Sentry is a registered Trademark
of Functional Software, Inc.