DocumentationExperience Cloud KCS

AEM admin password reset when current password is unknown

Last update: July 14, 2026

The admin password in AEM OSGi or the Administrator password in AEM Forms JEE is unknown or cannot be updated, blocking access to administrative consoles and causing authentication failures in integrations.

Description description

Environment

  • Adobe Experience Manager
  • AEM Forms JEE
  • Adobe Experience Manager as a Cloud Service (AEMaaCS)
  • AEM On-Premise Software

Issue/Symptoms

  • Login fails with Invalid Credentials when accessing administrative consoles.
  • Access to /crx/de, /system/console, or user administration pages fails.
  • AdminUI login fails for Administrator account.
  • Password reset attempts using repository tools do not complete successfully.
  • Replication or integrations fail with authentication errors such as 401.

Cause

Passwords are stored as salted and hashed values in the repository or application layer and cannot be retrieved. When the current password is lost, the system requires a controlled reset instead of recovery.

Resolution resolution

To resolve this issue, follow these steps:

  1. Identify whether the environment is OSGi or JEE by checking available endpoints.

  2. If using JEE, log in to /adminui with the current Administrator password.

  3. Navigate to Settings > User Management > Users and Groups and update the Administrator password.

  4. If the current Administrator password is unknown, escalate for password recovery workflow.

  5. If using OSGi, attempt login using known admin credentials to confirm access is not possible.

  6. Download the reset script from https://helpx.adobe.com/content/dam/help/en/experience-manager/kb/How-to-reset-the-admin-password-in-AEM-6-3/_jcr_content/main-pars/download_section/download-1/admin-reset_groovy.txtadmin-reset.groovy script.

  7. Stop the AEM instance.

  8. Place the oak-run tool and script in the same directory as the repository.

  9. Run the reset command in console:

    java -jar oak-run-*.jar console crx-quickstart/repository/segmentstore --read-write :load adminreset.groovy

  10. Confirm successful execution by verifying the console output indicates the admin node was found.

  11. Restart AEM and log in using the reset default credentials.

  12. Update all integrations and services using the admin credentials.

  13. Validate replication and API interactions to confirm authentication succeeds.

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