Change your account password - Account Center - Alibaba Cloud Documentation Center

To enhance account security, this topic describes how to change the logon password of your Alibaba Cloud account while you are logged on.

Prerequisites

This topic applies only to changing the logon password of your Alibaba Cloud account while you are logged on. Refer to the following solutions based on your scenario:

Is your current password still valid?

If you forgot your password and cannot log on, see Reset a forgotten password
If your current password is valid and you can log on, follow the procedure in this topic.

Change the password of a non-primary account

To change the password of a RAM user, contact the Alibaba Cloud account administrator or the RAM administrator to perform the operation in the RAM console. See Change RAM user login password.
To change the logon password of an enterprise SSO user, change the password at your enterprise identity provider (IdP).
This topic covers only the Alibaba Cloud console logon password, which is completely separate from server passwords (ECS instance logon password or Simple Application Server password). The two types of passwords are not interchangeable. To change a server password, go to the corresponding product console. See Instance logon credentials or Set or reset an instance password.

Procedure

Users who log on through a RAM user, RAM role, or enterprise SSO cannot change the password of the primary account. Contact the account administrator to log on to the primary account to perform this operation.

Log on to the Alibaba Cloud Account Center, go to the Security Settings page, and in the Basic Settings section, click Modify next to Logon Password.

You can also go to the Overview page, and in the My Account section, click the icon next to Logon Password.
On the Verify Identity page, you can choose to verify your identity by using your original security phone number, logon email, or TOTP. If you cannot complete the identity verification, submit an appeal to change your phone number or email address. See How to update your account email address.
After the verification succeeds, the Change Password page appears. Enter a new logon password and click OK.
After the password is changed, remember your new logon password and click Re-logon to log on to the Alibaba Cloud website again.

What to do next

After the password is changed, your Alibaba Cloud account is immediately logged out from all devices.

Log on again by using the new password on the Alibaba Cloud console or the Alibaba Cloud app.
For security, when you log on from an unfamiliar device or network environment by using the new password, the system may require secondary verification such as SMS verification.

To protect your account, we recommend that you perform the following operations after you change the logon password:

Rotate AccessKey pairs: If you suspect that your account credentials have been compromised, immediately disable or delete old AccessKey pairs and create new ones. This prevents attackers from using leaked keys to access your cloud resources.
Review RAM users and permissions: Check the RAM user list and permission policies. Remove unauthorized RAM users, suspicious permission policies, or expired temporary authorizations to prevent attackers from maintaining access through backdoor accounts.

FAQ

My security phone number or email address is no longer available during identity verification. What do I do?

If you cannot complete the identity verification, submit an appeal to change your password. See How to update your account email address

I cannot receive SMS or email verification codes. What do I do?

Follow these steps to troubleshoot the issue:

SMS verification code: Check whether your phone has overdue charges, whether the signal is normal, and whether you have installed any call or message blocking software or added the carrier number to a blocklist.
Email verification code: Check whether the email was classified as spam or placed in a subscription email folder.
If you have not received the code for an extended period due to network latency, wait patiently or retry later. If the issue persists, contact technical support.

Why can I still log on with my old password after changing it?

This is usually caused by browser cache or autofill, not a failed password change. Try the following:

Clear your browser cache and saved password entries.
Open the logon page in incognito or private browsing mode.
Manually enter the new password instead of relying on browser autofill.

If the issue persists after clearing the cache, use the Forgot password process to reset your password.

Will other devices be logged out after I change my password?

Yes. After you change the logon password, your Alibaba Cloud account is immediately logged out from all devices and active sessions. This means:

All devices (including PC and mobile app) must log on again by using the new password.
If you suspect unauthorized access, changing your password is an effective way to terminate all abnormal sessions.
We recommend that you review recent logon records through ActionTrail to check for suspicious logon IPs.

Can I disable password logon and only use SMS verification codes or passkeys to log on?

No. The logon password is the primary authentication method for Alibaba Cloud accounts. Even if you have enabled multi-factor authentication (MFA), bound a secure phone number, or set up a passkey, the password logon option is always available and cannot be disabled.

We recommend that you enhance your account security by using the following methods instead:

Enable multi-factor authentication (MFA). For more information, see Attach or detach a virtual MFA device.
Use a strong password and change it periodically.
Bind a secure phone number for secondary verification on unfamiliar devices.

What is the difference between the Alibaba Cloud account password and the ECS or server password?

The two types of passwords are completely separate and cannot be used interchangeably:

Type	Purpose	How to change
Alibaba Cloud account logon password	Log on to the Alibaba Cloud console (this topic)	Account Center > Security Settings
ECS instance password	Connect to a cloud server (SSH/RDP)	ECS console > Instance Details
Simple Application Server password	Connect to a lightweight server	Simple Application Server console

To change a server password, go to the corresponding product console.

How do I change my account logon name?

The logon name is a separate setting from the logon password. The entry point for changing the logon name is also on the Account Center > Overview or Security Settings page. The logon name is auto-generated during registration and can be changed to a name that is easier to remember (Chinese, English, and numbers are supported). For more information, see Change your logon email address.