📝 README: Resetting PostgreSQL Password on Windows (PostgreSQL 17.x)

📚 Purpose

This guide is for students or developers who forgot their PostgreSQL postgres user password on Windows, and want to reset it quickly and cleanly without reinstalling PostgreSQL.

🧠 What You'll Learn

How to locate the pg_hba.conf file
How to open it in VS Code or Notepad from terminal
How to temporarily disable password authentication
How to reset the password from psql
How to revert security settings

🐘 Requirements

PostgreSQL installed (e.g. 17.x)
Admin access to your PC
PowerShell or Command Prompt
Optional: VS Code installed

🧩 Bonus: Add PostgreSQL to PATH (Optional)

Add this to system environment variables:

C:\Program Files\PostgreSQL\17\bin

Then restart your terminal to use psql from anywhere.

🚀 Step-by-Step Guide

1️⃣ Open PowerShell as Admin

🔍 Press Win, search for PowerShell, then right-click → Run as Administrator

2️⃣ Locate Your PostgreSQL Data Directory

Run this command to check default install path:

cd "C:\Program Files\PostgreSQL\17\data"

If you're not sure where PostgreSQL is installed:

Open Services (services.msc)
Find your PostgreSQL service (e.g. postgresql-x64-17)
Right-click → Properties
Look at Path to executable — it will include the data directory path

3️⃣ Open `pg_hba.conf` in a Text Editor

Option A: Using Notepad

notepad .\pg_hba.conf

Option B: Using VS Code (if installed)

code .\pg_hba.conf

Inside pg_hba.conf, change all scram-sha-256 to trust like this:

local   all             all                                     trust
host    all             all             127.0.0.1/32            trust
host    all             all             ::1/128                 trust

local   replication     all                                     trust
host    replication     all             127.0.0.1/32            trust
host    replication     all             ::1/128                 trust

💾 Save the file and close the editor

5️⃣ Restart PostgreSQL

Restart-Service -Name postgresql-x64-17

6️⃣ Connect to PostgreSQL Without a Password

psql -U postgres -d postgres

You’ll enter psql without being asked for a password.

7️⃣ Reset the Password

Inside the psql prompt (postgres=#), run:

ALTER ROLE postgres WITH PASSWORD 'YourNewStrongPassword';

Replace 'YourNewStrongPassword' with something secure.

8️⃣ Restore Authentication to `scram-sha-256`

Edit pg_hba.conf again and revert changes:

local   all             all                                     scram-sha-256
host    all             all             127.0.0.1/32            scram-sha-256
host    all             all             ::1/128                 scram-sha-256

local   replication     all                                     scram-sha-256
host    replication     all             127.0.0.1/32            scram-sha-256
host    replication     all             ::1/128                 scram-sha-256

💾 Save and close.

9️⃣ Restart PostgreSQL Again

Restart-Service -Name postgresql-x64-17

🔟 Final Test

Try logging in again:

psql -U postgres -d postgres

✅ You’ll be prompted for a password — use the new one you set. You're back in!

🧼 Tips for Clean Setup

Store passwords securely in a password manager
Don't leave pg_hba.conf in trust mode for long — it's insecure
Use a .env file for apps connecting to PostgreSQL instead of hardcoding passwords

🧰 Optional: VS Code Integration

If you're using VS Code:

Open the data folder directly:

code "C:\Program Files\PostgreSQL\17\data"

Install SQL extensions in VS Code to make editing SQL scripts easier

🆘 Troubleshooting

Problem	Solution
`psql: password authentication failed`	Password is wrong or `pg_hba.conf` still requires `scram-sha-256`
`psql not recognized`	Make sure PostgreSQL's `bin` folder is in your system PATH
"Connection refused"	PostgreSQL service is not running — restart it