Q: How do I change my PGP disk passphrase?

PGP is no longer being offered on the software grid. Support is being phased out and will discontinue at the end of 2016.

The following answer pertains to changing the passphrase (or password) associated with PGP Desktop encryption. When a disk is encrypted with PGP, in order to access the disk and decrypt it, PGP prompts the user to enter a passphrase. This is a different password than the one used to log in to the computer's user accounts or wake it from sleep.

Answer

1. Right-click the PGP Desktop Lock icon in the system tray (lower right hand corner). Select the Open PGP Desktop option.
   
   
   
2. In the PGP Desktop window, find the category for PGP Disk on the left.
   • Click the name of your disk inside that category to select it.
   • Then select your name in the User Access area in the center.
   • Then click the Change Passphrase button.
     
     
     
3. Proceed by typing your current passphrase in the Enter Passphrase box. Click Next.
   
   
   
4. The Create Passphrase dialog box is displayed. Type a new passphrase. Re-enter the passphrase. The Passphrase Quality bar provides a basic guideline for the strength of the password you are creating. Normally, as an added level of security, the characters you type for a password are not visible on the screen. If you would like to see the characters of your password as you type, select the Show Keystrokes check box. For tips on how to create a strong password see Strong Passwords.
   
   
   
5. Click Finish. The passphrase is changed. You will now use this new passphrase when unlocking your disk when your computer starts.

Additional Information More information on PGP can be found on the PGP Desktop page. If you don't find your answer, contact pgp-help@mit.edu.