How to Change Password in Snowflake

Galaxy Glossary

How do I change a user password in Snowflake?

ALTER USER lets a SECURITYADMIN-level role reset or force-reset a Snowflake user’s password.

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Description

Example H2

Example H3

When should I change a Snowflake password?

Change a password after employee turnover, suspected compromise, or to enforce periodic rotation. Immediate resets cut risk and satisfy compliance rules.

Which role can change another user’s password?

Only SECURITYADMIN or a custom role with the MANAGE GRANTS privilege can execute ALTER USER to set or force a new password.

How do I safely change my own password?

Log in, switch to role SECURITYADMIN, and run ALTER USER <current_user> SET PASSWORD.Snowflake stores only salted, hashed passwords.

What does the ALTER USER syntax look like?

Core form: ALTER USER <user_name> SET PASSWORD = '<new_pwd>' [ MUST_CHANGE_PASSWORD = TRUE ]; The optional flag forces the user to choose another password at next log-in.

Can I require the user to pick a new password?

Yes.Append MUST_CHANGE_PASSWORD = TRUE; Snowflake prompts for a fresh password, ensuring the admin never learns the final secret.

Best practices for password changes

Use randomly generated 16+ character strings, rotate service-account passwords quarterly, and audit USER_PASSWORD_CHANGE_HISTORY for success/failure events.

How to verify the change?

Query LOGIN_HISTORY or attempt a new session with the updated credentials. Always revoke unused roles after password updates.

Quick checklist

1) Assume SECURITYADMIN. 2) ALTER USER with quoted password. 3) Optionally set MUST_CHANGE_PASSWORD. 4) Test login.5) Record ticket for audit.

Why How to Change Password in Snowflake is important

How to Change Password in Snowflake Example Usage


-- Rotate the read-only account used by the ecommerce reporting app
USE ROLE SECURITYADMIN;
ALTER USER reporting_app_ro SET PASSWORD = 'S3cur3R3p0rt2024', MUST_CHANGE_PASSWORD = TRUE;

How to Change Password in Snowflake Syntax


-- Basic reset
ALTER USER ecom_reader SET PASSWORD = 'NewP@ssw0rd2024';

-- Force user to pick another password on first login
ALTER USER ecom_reader SET PASSWORD = 'TempP@ss123', MUST_CHANGE_PASSWORD = TRUE;

-- Rotate service account used by Orders ETL job
ALTER USER orders_etl_svc SET PASSWORD = 'R4nd0m9x!#2024';

Common Mistakes

Omitting quotes around the new password: ALTER USER bob SET PASSWORD = S3cur3; ➜ Snowflake treats S3cur3 as an identifier and throws syntax error. Always wrap passwords in single quotes.
Running ALTER USER without SECURITYADMIN role: users receive 'insufficient privileges' error. Switch roles with `USE ROLE SECURITYADMIN;` before executing.