NB! These instructions only apply to the University’s centrally administered Mac computers and their users. Other users (including those with Mac home computers) can change their passwords via the MyAccount service; please read the instructions.
The instructions are written with the macOS Tahoe operating system. In other system versions, the view may be slightly different.
Current Apple computers used at the University have the SecureToken feature, which increases security. In order to keep the feature active for the user, the University's Mac administration recommends that you change your password on your Mac instead of using the MyAccount service (myaccount.helsinki.fi). Deactivation of the SecureToken feature means for example that you will no longer be able to update the macOS operating system.
Please note that if you forget your password, you will need to reset it via the MyAccount service. In that case, please contact Helpdesk so that SecureToken can be updated on your computer. The same applies if you have access to more than one university Mac computer (you can only change your password on one computer at a time; doing so will deactivate the SecureToken on other computers, and this will need to be fixed).
If you are a user of the University's Mac and have changed your password in the online service instead of according to these instructions, we recommend that you contact the IT Helpdesk. The contact information is provided at the bottom of this page.
Quick help
Please note that when changing the password, the Mac must be in the University's network, i.e. in eduroam or a wired network in the University of Helsinki premises or through a EduVPN connection elsewhere (split-tunnel is sufficient).
- Open the Apple menu, select System Settings > Users & Groups.
- Click the i icon after your name.
- In the window that opens, click Change password…..
- Enter your current password in the fields, then enter your new password twice.
- Finally, click Change Password.
You can check the change of password in the University menu.
Remember to also update passwords in different programs and devices. Please refer to the separate instructions on updating your eduroam password after changing your password.
Detailed help
This is how you can change the password for the University username in your University Mac
Please note that when changing the password, the Mac must be in the University's network, i.e. in eduroam or a wired network in the University of Helsinki premises or through a EduVPN connection elsewhere (split-tunnel is sufficient). Read the more detailed instructions on how to use the VPN connection from separate instructions.
Open the Apple menu, select System Settings and scroll down to Users & Groups.
Click the i icon after your name.
Click the Change password… icon.
Enter your old password in the fields, then enter your new password twice. Finally, click Change Password.
Now the password has been changed.
You can verify that your password has been changed in, for example, the University menu under User info > Password Last set (1).
Note! The University menu takes several hours to update the data, so make sure to check the timestamp under Data synced (2).
You can now close the System Settings and restart your computer.
Please remember that after changing your password, you must log in using your new password to all university services (e.g. Flamma, email and Moodle) as well as to any programs you use with your University of Helsinki username (e.g. Outlook, Teams and Zoom). Remember to use your new password when logging in on other devices where you use your university username.
After changing your password
Remember to also update passwords in different programs and devices.
See the separate instructions on updating your eduroam password after changing your password.
All password instructions
Video instruction
Please note:
- The video still instructs you to use a Tunnelblick connection, but currently, VPN connections are established using EduVPN.
- It takes several hours for the password change information to be updated in the university menu, so please check the timestamp under Data synced.
Give feedback
The instructions site of the University of Helsinki's IT Helpdesk helps you with IT-related issues related to your work. Let us know how we can improve our instructions. We greatly appreciate your feedback!
How would you improve these instructions?