> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.openiam.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.openiam.com/end-user-guide-for-selfservice/for-managers/bulk-password-reset.md).

# Bulk password reset

Reset passwords for a list of people at once, from a file.

**Bulk Password Reset** resets passwords for many people in one operation, from a list you supply. It exists for situations where resetting one at a time isn't practical — a suspected credential exposure, a system migration, a group returning from a long shutdown.

Open it from **Administration → Bulk Password Reset**.

This is a high-impact action: everyone on the list is locked out of their current password. Use it deliberately.

## Running a reset

{% stepper %}
{% step %}
**Prepare a CSV file listing the people.**

One person per row, identified by whichever field you'll match on.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
**Select the file.**

The page asks you to *"Select the CSV File Containing Users for Password Reset"*.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
**Choose the field to match on.**

**Match IAM Field** tells OpenIAM how to find each person from your file — by user name, employee number, or email, for example. The column in your file must contain that value.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
**Review who was matched.**

Two lists are shown:

* **Users Eligible for Password Reset** — matched, and will be reset
* **Users Not Eligible for Password Reset** — not matched, or not permitted, and will be skipped

Read both. The second list is the important one: it tells you who you *think* you're resetting but aren't.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
**Initiate the reset.**

Choose **Initiate Bulk Password Reset** to run it.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
**Tell the people affected.**

They need to know their password has changed and how to get the new one. Without that, your next hour is spent on the phone.
{% endstep %}
{% endstepper %}

## Before you run it

{% hint style="danger" %}
Everyone on the list loses their current password immediately. Anyone in a meeting, mid-task, or travelling will be locked out without warning unless you've told them. Agree the timing with whoever owns the affected teams, and send the notice **before** you press the button, not after.
{% endhint %}

Also worth checking:

* **Is the list right?** Someone included by mistake is locked out for no reason.
* **How will people get their new password?** Confirm the delivery method works before running it at scale.
* **Is anyone on the list critical right now?** An on-call engineer being reset mid-incident is a bad afternoon.
* **Could you do it in batches?** Two hundred people in four batches is far more manageable than all at once.

## Afterwards

* **Check the results** to confirm what actually happened.
* **Expect help desk contact** from people who missed the notice.
* **Encourage security questions.** People who have set them can recover themselves next time — see [Setting your security questions](/end-user-guide-for-selfservice/signing-in/security-questions.md).


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