ARCHIVED: How do I change my Oracle password using SQL*Plus?

This content has been archived, and is no longer maintained by Indiana University. Information here may no longer be accurate, and links may no longer be available or reliable.

Oracle passwords must contain 6 to 30 characters and begin with an alphabetic character. They can contain only alphanumeric characters and the characters _, $, and #.

Although best practices for passwords call for the use of passphrases with spaces, such use can create a variety of problems for Oracle database account holders. A passphrase containing spaces can still work with Oracle, but requires more planning and precision, depending on the platform or particular Oracle client software product. Unfortunately, passphrases containing spaces cannot be provided in a simple, consistent manner as can be done with an Oracle password that does not contain spaces.

To change your Oracle password, see the appropriate instructions below.

Using SQL*Plus in Oracle 11g

From the Start menu, select All Programs, and then select your Oracle Home group (e.g., Oracle - OraClient11g_home1).
Click Application Development, and then click SQL Plus.
When you launch SQL Plus in the Oracle 11g client, you will get the command shell version of SQL*Plus.
When prompted with Enter user-name:, enter your Oracle username, then @ , and then the net service name of the Oracle database; for example:
```
  username@oed1prd.world
```
Note: In the STCs, the full Oracle net service name is oed1prd.world. Oracle net service names configured on your computer may differ from the STC names, since these can be arbitrarily assigned.
Click Enter. When prompted with Enter password:, enter your Oracle password, and then click Enter.
At the prompt, to change your password, use the following command:
```
  password
```
When prompted, enter your old password, then your new password, and then retype your new password. SQL*Plus will indicate a successful password change.

Using the SQL*Plus GUI in Oracle versions earlier than 11g

From the Start menu, select All Programs, then your Oracle Home group (e.g., Oracle - OraClient10g_home).
Click Application Development, and then click SQL Plus.
In the window that appears, enter your Oracle username and password in the appropriate spaces.
Next to "Host String", enter the net service name of the Oracle database (such as oed1prd.world or oed1prd.uits.indiana.edu).
Note: In the STCs, the full Oracle net service name is oed1prd.world. Oracle net service names configured on your computer may differ from the STC names, since these can be arbitrarily assigned.
You should now be in the SQL*Plus GUI. To change your password, use the following command:
```
  password
```
When prompted, enter your old password, then your new password, and then retype your new password. SQL*Plus will indicate a successful password change.