University password

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Need to change or reset your password?
Change or recover your University password online

Think your University password or account has been compromised?
Contact the Helpdesk immediately.

Never share your University password with anyone. The University will never ask you for your password.

• Create a strong University password
• Is it safe to write down my password?
• Change or reset your University password
• Update eduroam after changing your password
• Multifactor authentication (MFA)
• What happens if suspicious activity is detected?
• Problems after changing your password
• Microsoft 365 or Office not working
• Microsoft Teams not working
• VPN not working

Create a strong University password

Your University password:

• is case-sensitive
• must be between 12 and 256 characters
• can include uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers and special characters, except £ and €
• should be easy for you to remember but difficult for someone else to guess.

We recommend using a passphrase, such as three random words combined into one long password. Longer passwords are generally better.

Keep your password secure

Do not:

• use your username as part of your password
• use easily guessed information such as names, dates, phone numbers, addresses or number plates
• use common passwords, keyboard patterns such as 123456 or qwerty, or predictable substitutions such as 3 for E
• add a predictable number to an existing password
• use only numbers
• reuse your University password for non-University accounts
• reuse the same password across other important accounts.

You can also make your password harder to guess by using more than the minimum 12 characters and combining words in an unusual or memorable way.

Is it safe to write down my password?

Avoid writing down your password where possible.

If you need to write something down to help you remember it:

• keep it away from your computer and other devices
• do not include your username or information identifying the account
• consider writing down a reminder or clue rather than the password itself.

Change or reset your University password

Before changing your password:

1. Make sure your contact details are up to date in Student Record.
2. Log out of, or close, University systems and apps you are using.
3. Go to pss.herts.ac.uk.
4. Follow the on-screen instructions.
5. When asked for your username, enter only your username, not username@herts.ac.uk.
6. Choose a new password that is different from your previous passwords.

Your new password should work on most University systems quickly, but some systems may take longer to update.

After changing your password, you may also need to sign back into University apps and update eduroam on your devices.

Update eduroam after changing your password

Eduroam stores your University password on your device and does not automatically update when you change your password.

If a device repeatedly tries to connect using your old password, your University account can become locked.

Before changing your password

• Disconnect from eduroam on all your devices.
• Use another internet connection while changing your password, such as mobile data or another available University connection.

After changing your password

On every device that uses eduroam:

1. Go to Get Connected.
2. Follow the instructions to forget or uninstall eduroam.
3. Reinstall eduroam using your new password.

See set up eduroam Wi-Fi or contact the Helpdesk if you need help.

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