How can I change a PostgreSQL user password Step by Step – Mac/Linux/Windows

Linux

Here are the steps to change a PostgreSQL user password:

Step 1:

Connect to the PostgreSQL server as a user with superuser privileges (for example, the “postgres” user). You can do this by running the following command in your terminal:

sudo -u postgres psql

Step 2:

Once connected to the server, change to the desired database by running the following command:

\c <database_name>

Step 3:

Set the new password for the user by running the following command:

ALTER USER <username> WITH PASSWORD 'new_password';

Step 4:

Verify that the password was changed by attempting to connect to the database with the new password:

psql -U <username> -d <database_name>

Step 5:

Exit the psql shell by running the command \q

Step 6:

You can also change the password for a specific role from the command line, without connecting to the database, by using the psql command-line tool, which can be used to run SQL commands directly against a PostgreSQL server.

psql -U postgres -c "ALTER USER <username> WITH PASSWORD 'new_password';"

Please note that in step 3, you need to replace <username> with the specific user you want to change the password for, and <new_password> with the new password you want to set.

Also, always keep your password complex and unguessable.

Also, make sure to change the password in any scripts or applications that use that user to connect to the database.

Windows

The steps to change a PostgreSQL user password in Windows are similar to the steps in a Unix-based operating system, but with some small differences:

Step 1:

Open the Command Prompt as an administrator.

Step 2:

Connect to the PostgreSQL server using the psql command-line tool:

psql -U postgres

Step 3:

Once connected to the server, change to the desired database by running the following command:

\c <database_name>

Step 4:

Set the new password for the user by running the following command:

ALTER USER <username> WITH PASSWORD 'new_password';

Step 5:

Verify that the password was changed by attempting to connect to the database with the new password:

psql -U <username> -d <database_name>

Step 6:

Exit the psql shell by running the command \q

Step 7:

You can also change the password for a specific role from the command line, without connecting to the database, by using the psql command-line tool, which can be used to run SQL commands directly against a PostgreSQL server.

psql -U postgres -c "ALTER USER <username> WITH PASSWORD 'new_password';"

Please note that in step 4, you need to replace <username> with the specific user you want to change the password for, and <new_password> with the new password you want to set.

Also, always keep your password complex and unguessable.

MAC

The steps to change a PostgreSQL user password in Mac are similar to the steps in a Unix-based operating system:

Step 1:

Open the Terminal.

Step 2:

Connect to the PostgreSQL server using the psql command-line tool:

psql -U postgres

Step 3:

Once connected to the server, change to the desired database by running the following command:

\c <database_name>

Step 4:

Set the new password for the user by running the following command:

ALTER USER <username> WITH PASSWORD 'new_password';

Step 5:

Verify that the password was changed by attempting to connect to the database with the new password:

psql -U <username> -d <database_name>

Step 6:

Exit the psql shell by running the command \q

Step 7:

You can also change the password for a specific role from the command line, without connecting to the database, by using the psql command-line tool, which can be used to run SQL commands directly against a PostgreSQL server.

psql -U postgres -c "ALTER USER <username> WITH PASSWORD 'new_password';"

Please note that in step 4, you need to replace <username> with the specific user you want to change the password for, and <new_password> with the new password you want to set.

Also, always keep your password complex and unguessable.

Also, make sure to change the password in any scripts or applications that use that user to connect to the database.

You may also need to prefix the command with the path to the PostgreSQL bin folder if it is not in the system path, this is usually located in /usr/local/pgsql/bin/.