Accounts and Passwords

Information for changing your password

University of Minnesota policy is that Internet passwords must be changed at least once per year. Changing your password should not be a problem normally but there are some things you should be aware of when you do change your password.

How to change your password

To change your Internet password go to the validate Web site, click on Change your Internet Password and follow the instructions.

After you change your password

After you change your password you should be able to go back to work normally. There are a couple of things that might go wrong that you should be aware of.

Although we don't recommend it, it is possible to have the Thunderbird e-mail client save your password so you don't need to type it when you log in. After you change your password, you'll have to also tell Thunderbird about your new password. Here are the steps to do that:

Thunderbird on Windows PC

1. Start Thunderbird.
2. In the Thunderbird menu, select Tools > Options in the drop-down menu.
3. Click on Privacy, choose the Passwords tab, and click on View Saved Passwords.
4. Select imap://yourusername@yourusername.email.umn.edu and click Remove.
5. Select smtp://smtp.umn.edu and click Remove.
6. When done, click Close.
7. Restart Mozilla Thunderbird.
8. When prompted provide your Internet (X.500) ID and new password.

Thunderbird on a Mac

1. Launch the Thunderbird application.
2. Select the Thunderbird menu and choose Preferences.
3. The preferences window will open. Click on the Privacy icon and then the Passwords tab.
4. Click the View Saved Passwords button.
5. Select imap://yourusername@yourusername.email.umn.edu and click the Remove button.
6. Select smtp://smtp.umn.edu and click the Remove button.
7. Click the red button in the upper left corner to close the Password Manager window.
8. Click the red button in the upper left corner to close the preferences window and quit Thunderbird.
9. Launch Thunderbird again. You should then be prompted to type in your new password when you send or receive mail.

Some people in the college use PDAs like the Palm Pilot or SmartPhones that can read e-mail via "Snappermail" or get calendar information via "SyncML." Here are instructions on how to change the password stored in these two applications:

SyncML

• For PDAs and SmartPhones running Windows Mobile ("Pocket PCs"), see steps 2, 3, and 4 of this guide.
• For PDAs and SmartPhones running Palm OS, see steps 2, 3, and 4 of this guide.

Snappermail

1. Open SnapperMail on your PDA or SmartPhone.
2. Tap the Accounts menu > Edit Accounts....
3. Tap the name of your email account then tap the Edit button.
4. Tap the Server tab, and update your password in the Password fields of the Incoming Mail and Outgoing Mail sections.
5. Tap OK.