Password Management and FAQ

Resetting E-mail / Portal Password

You must reset your password before you will be able to login to your Fresno State e-mail, My Fresno State,Canvas, The Help Center or Bulldog Wireless.

Follow the steps below to reset your password. You have 4 minutes to reset your password. Refresh the page if your session expires.

  1. Go to the password.csufresno.edu web site.

  2. Enter your username only. 

  3. Click the Continue button. 

  4. You will then be presented with a page with your Security Question.

  5. Type in the Answer to your Security Question.

  6. Enter a new 8 character password in New Password.

  7. Enter the new 8 character password again in Confirm New Password

  8. Click the Finish button.
  • If you were successful in this process, you should see the words that indicate the password was reset successfully. If not, you will see the reason why it was not successfully reset.

  • If you do not see a page with your Security Question or a place for the Answer, or if you don't know your Answer, try option 3 which asks for your student or employee id number and birthdate. If you do not know your ID number, you must contact Admissions and Records. An agent will reset your password with a temporary one and you must return to the password.csufresno.edu web site and follow these instructions again starting from step 1 above.

Password FAQ's

Don't see your question in the list below? Contact the Technology Service Desk for further assistance.

Q: How often am I required to change my password?
A: If you are a student, never. If you are a student with security access to information in My Fresno State, your email password will need to be updated every 180 days.

Q: What happens if I don't change my password before it expires?
A: Your account will become locked. See the instructions at the top of this page.

NOTE: You will not be able to access your e-mail, login to the Bulldog wireless network, login to Canvas, login to The Help Center, or login to My Fresno State until your account has been unlocked.

Q: What if I don't remember my password?
A: You can use a secret question and answer to reset your password if you have one on file. If you haven't selected a secret question and answer, and don't know your password, you'll need to contact the Technology Service Desk to obtain a one-time password.

Q: How long does my password have to be?
A: Your password must be at least 8 characters long and cannot contain your username or any portions of your name. We recommend a combination of mixed-case alphabetical, numerical and symbol characters for your password. An example would be: p89[43+T.

Q: Can I just change my password to my old password?
A: No. Your previously used passwords are remembered in a password history to prevent re-use of old passwords. The system remembers the last 12 passwords you used and will not allow you to use any of those same passwords.

Q: I typed my password in wrong 5 times, and now I can't login. What do I do?
A: You will need to wait 5 minutes before attempting to login again. Your password is temporarily locked to prevent dictionary-based password cracking attempts. If you urgently need access to your account, you can reset your password using these instructions.