Accessibility statement

How to change your password

Forgotten your password?

If you have forgotten your password, and have set up security questions, visit York Identity Manager (IDM), enter your username, click on Forgot your password? and follow the instructions.

If you have not set security questions, you'll need to visit the IT Support with some identification.

Password expired?

If you're a member of staff, you can log in to York Identity Manager (IDM) for up to four weeks after your password has expired to change it.

During this time, you can also log in to a managed PC where a message will be displayed advising you to change your password.

Before changing your password

If you use Google Prompts

Google Prompts are notifications sent to your phone by Google to verify your identity for Google two-factor authentication (2FA). If you normally use these to sign in to your account:

  • After changing your University password you will be signed out of your account on the app/device you use to receive Google Prompts. You will need to sign back into your account using another 2FA method.
  • When you set up Google Prompts on your account you will have been prompted to set up another 2FA option (either text message/phone call passcodes, or a list of backup codes) if you didn’t already have one enabled on your account.
  • You can also generate some backup codes now so that you can use these to sign back into your account on your mobile device after you change your password.
  • Other Google 2FA methods and Duo two-factor authentication are not affected by changing your password.

If you use a University managed Windows laptop

Check if your laptop is managed by Active Directory:

If your laptop is managed by Active Directory, you'll need to connect your laptop to the VPN before changing your password.

Security questions

These let you reset your password if you've forgotten it. To set or change your security questions, log in to the York Identity Manager (IDM) with your username and password.

Changing your password

  1. Log in to York Identity Manager (IDM) 
  2. Select Change your password
  3. Generate a random password or select your own. See Choose a strong password for additional guidance.
  4. Select Save.

After changing your password

Make sure you can log in using your new password.

If you use a University managed Windows laptop

  1. Lock your screen (on Windows this is done using the Windows key + L on your keyboard)
  2. Log in with new password.

If you use a University managed Mac

  1. Select the University shield in the menu bar to open the Jamf Connect menu
  2. Select Connect...
  3. Enter your University email address and new password.
  4. You will be prompted for the password you last used to log in or unlock your Mac. In most cases this will be your old University password. Enter your old password and select Sync.

You will now be able to log in to your computer using your new password.

Changing your password in stored locations

When you change your password, you may also need to change it in other stored locations.

If you're not prompted to do this automatically, instructions for how to change your password in common locations can be found below.

If you're using a managed Windows PC, your password will be automatically updated and you don't need to follow the steps below.