Change Your UMD Password

Where to Change Your UMD Password

Use UMD’s official Passphrase Management service to change your Directory ID passphrase. Open {site} and find the password or passphrase management option. UMD uses the word “passphrase,” but it is the password used with your Directory ID.

Before entering your current password, confirm that the page shows University of Maryland branding and that your browser reports a secure connection. The sign-in page should identify itself as a university account service. If you arrived through an unexpected message, advertisement, or search result, close that page and start again from {site}. Never approve a multi-factor authentication request that you did not initiate.

The phrase “change password UMD” generally refers to changing the central Directory ID passphrase. A password for a separate departmental or non-UMD system may have its own procedure.

Steps to Change the Password

Have your Directory ID, current passphrase, and multi-factor authentication device ready. UMD’s current account management interface may refer to the password area as “My Passwords.”

1. Open the official UMD account management service and sign in with your Directory ID and current passphrase.
2. Complete multi-factor authentication if prompted.
3. Select “My Passwords” from the account menu.
4. Enter your current passphrase in the current-password field.
5. Enter the new passphrase, then type it again in the confirmation field.
6. Review both entries carefully and select “Reset” to apply the change.

Do not use the browser’s Back button while completing the Directory ID pages. If the form rejects the new passphrase, check every published requirement below. The two new-passphrase entries must also match exactly, including capitalization and spaces.

UMD Password Requirements

UMD publishes the following requirements for a Directory ID passphrase:

• It must contain between 12 and 32 characters.
• It must include at least one uppercase letter and at least one lowercase letter.
• It must include at least one digit or punctuation character.
• It cannot begin or end with a space.
• It cannot contain personal information, such as part of your name or birthdate.
• It cannot contain more than two identical characters in a row.
• It cannot contain a carriage return, line break, forward slash, or backslash.
• It cannot end with a symbol.
• It cannot reuse any passphrase previously used for the account.

These rules apply to eligible UMD community members who have a Directory ID. UMD requires community members to change their Directory ID passphrase every 12 months. If the system says the account is not eligible or cannot be located, do not create a different account or guess at identifying information. Ask the IT Service Desk to check the account’s status.

If You Forgot Your Current Password

Use the official “Forgot Passphrase” option instead of the normal change form. The recovery process begins by asking for your Directory ID. After you submit it, the system displays the verification methods available for your account.

1. Enter your Directory ID and select “Submit.”
2. Choose one of the identity-verification options shown.
3. Receive the PIN through the selected method.
4. Enter the PIN and select “Verify.”
5. Enter the new passphrase in both fields and select “Reset Password.”

The available verification choices depend on the recovery information already connected to the account. UMD previously described verified-phone recovery, while its current flow presents the eligible methods on screen. Security questions are not used for Directory ID passphrase recovery.

If no usable verification method appears, the PIN never arrives, or verification fails, contact the IT Service Desk. For some assisted resets, the Service Desk may require live video identity verification. Be ready to show a current, unexpired UMD identification card or another accepted current photo ID. Follow only the instructions provided by the official support representative.

After Changing the Password

The new passphrase applies to university systems that use the central Directory ID. A device or application may keep trying the old saved password, so update stored credentials promptly.

• Replace the saved UMD password in your browser or password manager.
• Sign in again to university email if it asks for credentials.
• Update the credentials saved for campus Wi-Fi on each phone, tablet, and computer.
• Check university applications, VPN connections, and connected devices that use the Directory ID.
• Remove the old saved credential if a device repeatedly reports an authentication error.

A managed computer may behave differently when it is away from the campus network. If the new passphrase does not work at the computer’s sign-in screen, UMD advises trying the previous passphrase or using the supported pre-login VPN option. Ask the Service Desk for help if you are unsure which procedure applies to the device.

A Directory ID passphrase and a separate mail passphrase are not always the same. Change only the credential requested by the service instead of assuming every UMD-related password changed automatically.

Get Help With a UMD Account

Contact the University of Maryland Division of Information Technology Service Desk if you cannot change your passphrase, cannot complete identity verification, have no usable recovery method, or believe the account is locked.

Tell the representative your Directory ID, the name of the page or service, and the exact error message. Do not send your current or proposed passphrase, a recovery PIN, or a multi-factor authentication code. If the problem followed a password change, mention which device or university service still rejects the new passphrase.

If you suspect that you entered credentials on a false page, say so immediately and change the UMD password through the official service. The Service Desk can explain the next account-protection steps after verifying your identity.