# Manage default user

Manage a database's default user.

| Redis Software |
| --- |

When you [create a database](/content/docs/latest/operate/rs/databases/create/index.html), default user database access is enabled by default ( **Unauthenticated access** is selected). This gives the default user full access to the database and enables compatibility with versions of Redis before Redis 6.

Select **Password-only authentication**, then enter and confirm a default database password to require authentication for connections to the database.

## Authenticate as default user

When you configure a password for your database, all connections to the database must authenticate using the [AUTH](/content/docs/latest/commands/auth/index.html) command. See Redis security's [authentication](/content/docs/latest/operate/oss_and_stack/management/security/#authentication/index.html) section for more information.

```sh
AUTH <default-database-password>
```

## Change default database password  
To change the default user's password:

1. From the database's **Security** tab, select **Edit**.
2. In the **Access Control** section, select **Password-only authentication** as the **Access method**.
3. Enter and re-enter the new password.
4. Select **Save**.

## Deactivate default user  
If you set up [role-based access control](/content/docs/latest/operate/rs/security/access-control/index.html) with [access control lists](/content/docs/latest/operate/rs/security/access-control/create-db-roles/index.html) (ACLs) for your database and don't require backwards compatibility with versions earlier than Redis 6, you can [deactivate the default user](/content/docs/latest/operate/rs/security/access-control/manage-users/default-user/index.html).

Warning:

- Before you deactivate default user access, make sure the role associated with the database is [assigned to a user](/content/docs/latest/operate/rs/security/access-control/create-users/index.html). Otherwise, the database will be inaccessible.
- If you enabled the default database password during the creation of an [Active-Active database](/content/docs/latest/operate/rs/databases/active-active/index.html), you should not turn off the default database password because it could prevent the removal of participating database instances.

To deactivate the default user:

1. From the database's **Security** tab, select **Edit**.
2. In the **Access Control** section, select **Using ACL only** as the **Access method**.
   
3. Choose at least one role and Redis ACL to access the database.
4. Select **Save**.