Fix ORA-01017: Invalid Username or Password Error

One of the most common Oracle database errors users face during login is.

ORA-01017: Invalid username/password; logon denied

This error usually occurs when.

• The username or password is incorrect.
• The user account is locked or expired.
• You're connecting to the wrong database container in a multitenant (CDB/PDB) environment.

In this blog, we’ll guide you on how to reset Oracle database user passwords and fix this error.

Solution: Reset Password for SYSTEM User

Connect as SYSDBA

First, connect to your Oracle database using SQL*Plus or any terminal.

sqlplus / as sysdba

Switch to Root Container (CDB)

In a multitenant database, you must connect to the root container to reset the password.

ALTER SESSION SET CONTAINER = CDB$ROOT;

Reset SYSTEM User Password

Now, reset the SYSTEM user’s password. You can set any strong password here:

ALTER USER system IDENTIFIED BY Oracle123 CONTAINER = ALL;

Replace Oracle123 with your desired password.

CONTAINER=ALL ensures that the password change applies to all containers (CDB and PDBs).

Test Connection

EXIT SQL*Plus;

exit

Now try logging in again.

sqlplus system/Oracle123@YourServiceName

How to Find Your Service Name?

Step 1. Open your tnsnames.ora file.

Typical path (Windows): C:\app\Administrator\product\21c\dbhomeXE\network\admin\tnsnames.ora

Step 2. Look for entries like: XE =

(DESCRIPTION =
  (ADDRESS = (PROTOCOL = TCP)(HOST = 192.168.1.193)(PORT = 1521))
  (CONNECT_DATA =
    (SERVER = DEDICATED)
    (SERVICE_NAME = XE)
  )
)

In this example.

Step 3. Your service name is XE.

Common Service Names

Container Type	Example Service Name
CDB (Root DB)	XE
PDB (Pluggable)	XEPDB1

Step 4. Example Connection Command.

sqlplus system/Oracle123@XE

Or for Pluggable DB: sqlplus system/Oracle123@XEPDB1

Step 5. Please review the TNS config you provided (you previously shared XE and XEPDB1) and suggest the exact command.

In your case, it looks like your service name is either.

Step 6. XE → Root Database.

Step 7. XEPDB1 → Pluggable Database.

• Always use strong passwords that comply with your Oracle password policy.
• For non-multitenant databases, skip the CONTAINER=ALL clause

  ALTER USER system IDENTIFIED BY Oracle123;
  

If you encounter this error, here is the solution to resolve it.