What to do when you forget your password, when sign-in is locked after too many tries, or when your account or device is blocked.
Who uses it
Everyone who signs in. Setting a new password for someone else is done by an administrator with Users and roles: Edit.
Tasks
When you forget your password
- There is no "forgot password" link. Ask your administrator.
- The administrator sets a new password for you (see the next task) and tells you what it is.
- Sign in with the new password.
Set a new password for someone (administrators)
- Open Administration and select Users.
- Open the person's account.
- Select Reset password.
- Type the new password and select OK.
- When asked To secure provide your password, type your own password, not theirs, and select OK.
- The message "you successfully updated user password." confirms it. Tell the person the new password in private.
When sign-in is locked
- If you see Too many attempts, stop trying. Each try during the lock is refused and counted.
- Wait the minutes the message shows (up to 15 minutes after the last failed try).
- Try again carefully: check Caps Lock and the username.
- If you still cannot get in, ask your administrator to set a new password.
Unlock someone's account (administrators)
- Open Administration and select Security. Accounts in a cool-off window are listed under Locked out.
- The lock clears by itself 15 minutes after the last failed try. There is no button to clear it early.
- If the person has forgotten the password, set a new one (see above) and let the lock run out.
When your account is not active
- The message "username is not active please contact system admin." means your account is Suspended.
- Ask an administrator to open Users, select Edit user on your account and set Status to Active.
How the lock works
| Rule | Detail |
|---|---|
| Limit | 5 failed sign-ins within 15 minutes |
| Counted by | The username, and separately the network address the tries come from |
| How long | Until 15 minutes after the last failed try |
| Cleared by | Waiting, or a successful sign-in once the lock has run out |
Because the address is counted too, many failed tries from one office network can lock others on that network for a short while.
Questions
Can I change my own password?
Only people who can open the Users page and edit users can change a password, their own included. Everyone else asks an administrator.
Why does the reset ask for my password, not the user's?
It proves that the person making the change is really you, the administrator, before another person's password is changed.
Are there rules for a strong password?
The system only refuses an empty password. Use at least 8 characters with letters and numbers, and never share it.
I waited 15 minutes and I am still locked. Why?
Every try made during the lock counts as a new failure and restarts the 15 minutes. Wait the full time without trying, then sign in once, carefully.
My colleague is locked out too, but they did nothing wrong. Why?
Failed tries are also counted by network address. If someone in your office made many failed tries, the office address can be locked for 15 minutes.
The message says "Approval needed". Is my account locked?
No. Your password was right, but you used a new device and your account is limited to its own devices. An administrator approves the device on the Security page, Trusted devices tab.