Postgresql: password authentication failed for user “postgres”

Question

I have installed PostgreSQL 8.4, Postgres client and Pgadmin 3. Authentication failed for user \"postgres\" for both console client and Pgadmin. I have typed user as \"postg

Answer 1

If you are trying to login postgres shell as postgres user, then you can use following commands.

switch to postgres user

# su - postgres

login to psql

# psql

Hope that helps

Answer 2

I had faced similar issue. While accessing any database I was getting below prompt after updating password "password authentication failed for user “postgres”" in PGAdmin

---

Solution:

1. Shut down postgres server
2. Re-run pgadmin
3. pgadmin will ask for password.
4. Please enter current password of mentioned user

Hope it will resolve your issue

Answer 3

I just wanted to add that you should also check if your password is expired.

See Postgres password authentication fails for details.

Answer 4

Here are some combinations which I tried to login:

# login via user foo
psql -Ufoo -h localhost

sudo -u postgres psql postgres

# user foo login to postgres db
psql -Ufoo -h localhost -d postgres

Answer 5

For those who are using it first time and have no information regarding what the password is they can follow the below steps(assuming you are on ubuntu):

1. Open the file pg_hba.conf in /etc/postgresql/9.x/main

    sudo vi pg_hba.conf 
   

   2.edit the below line

    local   all             postgres                                peer
   

   to

    local   all             postgres                                trust
   

2. Restart the server

     sudo service postgresql restart
   

3. Finally you can login without need of a password as shown in the figure

Ref here for more info

Answer 6

i had a similar problem. Ubuntu was left me log in in console with any password for superuser. Except when i connected with -h localhost in psql line command.

I Observed too that "localhost:8080/MyJSPSiteLogIn" - showed: Fatal: autentication error with user "user".

pg_hba.conf was ok.

I noted had two versions of postgres running in the same service.

Solved - uninstalling inutil version.