# ALTER USER

The `ALTER USER` statement can be used to add or change a user's password.

Tip:

You can also use the `cockroach user` command to add or change a user's password.

## Considerations

- Password creation and alteration is supported only in secure clusters for non-`root` users.

## Required privileges

The user must have the `INSERT` and `UPDATE` privileges on the `system.users` table.

## Synopsis

## Parameters

Parameter | Description
--- | ---
`name` | The name of the user whose password you want to create or add.
`password` | Let the user authenticate their access to a secure cluster using this new password. Passwords should be entered as string literal. For compatibility with PostgreSQL, a password can also be entered as an identifier, although this is discouraged.

## Examples

### Change password using a string literal

    > ALTER USER carl WITH PASSWORD 'ilov3beefjerky';

    ALTER USER 1

### Change password using an identifier

The following statement changes the password to `ilov3beefjerky`, as above:

    > ALTER USER carl WITH PASSWORD ilov3beefjerky;

This is equivalent to the example in the previous section because the password contains only lowercase characters.

In contrast, the following statement changes the password to `thereisnotomorrow`, even though the password in the syntax contains capitals, because identifiers are normalized automatically:

    > ALTER USER carl WITH PASSWORD ThereIsNoTomorrow;

To preserve case in a password specified using identifier syntax, use double quotes:

    > ALTER USER carl WITH PASSWORD "ThereIsNoTomorrow";

## See also

- `cockroach user` command
- `DROP USER`
- `SHOW USERS`
- `GRANT <privileges>`
- `SHOW GRANTS`
- Create Security Certificates
- Other SQL Statements