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Why am I asked to change my password when I sign in?

4 steps 3 min Updated 4 November 2026

After you sign in with your username and password, you may see a screen headed Change your password, with the line For your security, please set a new password to continue. You can't carry on until you've chosen a new one.

Why you see it

  • An admin or teacher reset your password to the school default, or switched on Require a password change at next login for you.
  • An admin created your account by hand, with your school's default password.
  • Your school sets a password expiry and your password is older than that.

You aren't asked when you sign in with a QR code or with Google, and signing in that way clears a pending request. You're also never asked if your school has turned password changes off for you; in that case ask your teacher or your school's IT team to set a password for you.

Steps

Step 1: Enter your current password

Type the password you just signed in with into Current password.

Step 2: Choose a new password

Type it into New password. A checklist underneath ticks off what your school needs as you type: At least … characters, and at some schools One uppercase letter, One lowercase letter and One number. Some schools also check new passwords against ones exposed in known data breaches, so a long phrase you'll remember works well.

Step 3: Confirm it

Type it again into Confirm new password. The screen says Passwords match. or Passwords do not match yet. Then select Change password.

Step 4: Sign in again

You're sent back to the sign-in page. Sign in with your new password. Any other devices you were signed in on are signed out.

If it doesn't work

  • "Please make sure you have entered the correct current password, and your new password does not contain any obvious phrases." — the current password was wrong, or the new one is too obvious. A wrong current password counts as a wrong attempt towards the sign-in lock (see Too many sign-in attempts).
  • "Your new password must be different from your current one." — choose something you haven't just used.
  • "That password is too common or easily guessed. Please choose a different one." — pick a longer or less common password.
  • "Enter a new password." — the new password box was empty.
  • A message under the form that the password is too short, or is missing a capital letter or number — meet the school's rules in the checklist.
  • "That password change link has expired. Please sign in again." — the screen was open too long, or already used. Sign in again.
  • "Your school doesn't let you change your password here. Please ask your school's IT team." — password changes are turned off for you. Ask your teacher or IT team to set a password for you.
  • "You can't change your password right now. Please try again later." — the change couldn't be made just now. Try again in a few minutes.

For admins and teachers

You decide who is asked: Reset to default, Set a specific password and Require a password change at next login are on a user's Security tab (see Edit a user), and Reset passwords covers a class or year group — see Reset passwords. Your school's rules and password expiry are in Password settings. For what each way of setting a password does, see Password settings → What password does a new or reset user get?.

Account Set up two-factor authentication when you sign in