Your NetID & Password

• About Your NYU NetID
• Activate Your NYU NetID
• Change Your Password
• Forgotten Password
• Troubleshooting Tips

About Your NYU NetID

All NYU faculty and staff members, as well as students enrolled in degree or diploma programs, are provided with an NYU NetID (Network IDentification). Your NetID is a combination of your initials and a few random numbers, e.g., aqe123, and is usually printed on the back of your NYUCard. It is different from your University ID, which is also printed on your NYUCard, but is a longer string of numbers and starts with an "N". Once activated (see below), your NetID is your key to many NYU online resources, including, for eligible community members, NYUHome. Your NetID is also used to create your default NYU email address (e.g., aqe123@nyu.edu).

Activate Your NYU NetID

You can activate your NetID at any time, from any Internet-connected computer, using the ITS Start page (http://start.nyu.edu/). If you know your NetID (it is usually printed on the back of your NYU ID Card), enter it in the appropriate field and click "Start!"; if not, follow the instructions at the top of the page. Then, complete the steps for setting up a password (visit the Security pages for password tips) and beginning your NYUHome service. If you encounter any problems, contact the ITS Client Services Center.

Change Your Password

For security reasons, NYU requires that you change the password you use with your NetID at least once each year (no exceptions). You will receive notifications from ITS when your password is about to expire; if you do not change your password in time, you will not be able to access NetID and password-protected sites until you follow the instructions below to change your password. Also note that you can change your password more frequently than once a year to avoid the reminder messages altogether—there is no limit on the number of times you may change your password.

Instructions

• Go to http://start.nyu.edu. (You can also click on the CHANGE link next to your password in your NYUHome Preferences [link appears at top right of screen] to go directly to the password change screen.)
• Log in with your NetID and current password.
• Click the "Change your password" link.
• Follow the instructions on that page to change your password.
• When creating your new password, remember the following password requirements:
  • passwords must be 8 or more characters in length
  • passwords must consist of letters (a-z and/or A-Z) AND at least one number (0-9) AND at least one special character: !@#$%^&*()_-+=[]|\;"~',<>./?
  • the alphabetic portion of a password, taken as a whole, may not be a dictionary word proper name, or person's initials
  • your password may not be the same as the password you are changing

Your new password will be valid almost immediately. If you test your account and this does not seem to be the case, you should repeat the process of changing your password. If your new password still doesn't work, you should call the ITS Client Services Center at 1-212-998-3333.

Services Affected by Password Changes

• Non-NYU Email programs that access your NYU email account, including Eudora and Outlook. If you have previously configured these clients to save your password, then you will likely see error messages the first time you use them after changing your password, and you will need to reconfigure them with your new password. Note, ITS recommends that you do not save your password in any email programs.
• Any PDAs or other handheld devices you use to access NYU email. See our instructions on reconfiguring select PDAs.
• If you've set up your computer for NYU-NET Proxy and have saved your password on your computer (a practice ITS does not recommend), you will also need to update your Proxy configuration.
• NYURoam wireless access - When you use the Cisco VPN client to connect to the NYURoam wireless network, you are asked to enter your NetID and password. Be sure you enter your new password. If you allow your password to expire, you will be unable to access NYURoam until you set a new one.
• The next time you log in to the NYU-NET Computer Registration System, remember to use your new password. This also applies to NYUHome, and any other systems you regularly access with your NetID and password combination.
• NYU DIAL service - When you connect through DIAL, you may be asked to enter your NetID and password. Be sure you enter your new password, or update it if you have your password stored. If you allow your password to expire, you will be unable to log in to the NYU DIAL service until you set a new one.

Forgotten Password

If you forget your password, visit the ITS Start page (http://start.nyu.edu), enter your NetID, and click the "Start" button. On the next screen, click the "Continue" button, which will walk you through the steps of validating yourself and requesting a password reminder.

If you are unable to remember the answer to the password hint presented to you, you will need to bring your NYUCard to the ITS Client Services Center (CSC) at 10 Astor Place, 4th floor to verify your identity and have your password and hint reset. If you are truly unable to come to the CSC in person (e.g., you live abroad), contact the CSC at 1-212-998-3333 or send email to its.clientservices@nyu.edu for further instructions.

Troubleshooting Tips

• If you try to log in to an NYU website with your NetID and password and receive an error message telling your that your ID or password is incorrect, try logging in again, making sure that you have typed your NetID and password correctly. All NYU NetIDs are in lower case. Check to make sure Caps Lock isn't on by accident, and you're using the NetID that is usually printed on the back of your NYUCard.
• If you try again and you still can't log in, follow the forgotten password instructions above.
• If this still doesn't work, bring your NYUCard to the ITS Client Services Center at 10 Astor Place, 4th floor and an ITS staff member will help you. If you are truly unable to come to the CSC in person (e.g., you live abroad), contact the CSC at 1-212-998-3333 or send email to its.clientservices@nyu.edu for further instruction

Page last reviewed: August 20, 2006