The user account secret is used by NHSmail and Local IT helpdesk agents to verify your identity in certain scenarios. For example, if you need to contact your Local Administrator to unlock your account or to reset your password on your behalf.
You will never be asked for the full user account secret, only individual characters from it. You should never share it with anyone as this will compromise the security of your NHSmail account.
New User Accounts
New NHSmail users are required to set their user account secret via the NHSmail Portal as part of their initial account setup.
1. Go to https://portal.nhs.net/ and click in the Login option at the top right corner of the screen.
2. Enter your username and password click on Sign In
3. Read the Acceptable Use Policy (AUP), scroll down to the bottom and click on
If you have already accepted the AUP and need to reset your user account secret, please refer to the following article: https://support.nhs.net/knowledge-base/reset-a-user-account-secret/
4. Complete or update your Profile information and click on Next.
5. Set your user account secret following the below criteria:
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- It must contain only letters
- It must not be your name or your organisation’s name
- It must be longer than 8 characters
- It cannot be the same as any of your 5 previously registered secrets, if you have set any before
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6. Click on Save, a pop-up message will appear confirming your AUP acceptance.
Existing Users with Security Q&As
We recommend that existing users who have security questions and answers replace these with an account secret by using the self-service page in Portal, by following these steps:
1. Go to https://portal.nhs.net/ and click in the Login option at the top right corner of the screen.
2. Enter your username and password and click on Sign In. Authenticate with MFA if prompted.
3. Click on Profile in the navigation bar at the top of the screen and select My Profile from the drop-down menu.
4. Click the Self-Service tab and select the Set-up Account Secret
5. Set your user account secret following the below criteria:
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- It must contain only letters.
- It must not be your name or your organisation’s name.
- It must be longer than 8 characters.
- It cannot be the same as any of your 5 previously registered secrets, if you have set any before
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6. Once saved, a success notification will be displayed. After selecting Ok, this can be further verified by the available tabs in the My Profile section:
If you forget your user account secret, you can contact a Local Administrator in your organisation to discuss the process to alternatively authenticate yourself and reset your account secret.
https://support.nhs.net/knowledge-base/finding-your-local-administrator/
NAS managed users please contact helpdesk@nhs.net directly.
Once your identity has been confirmed, the Accenture NAS team will have the ability to resecure your account. On next login, you will be prompted to re-accept the AUP and set a new user account secret. For further information on this process, refer to Reset a user account secret article
| Last Reviewed Date | 16/05/2024 |
