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I installed postgresql on my Mac through homebrew. It said it didn't create a postgres account, but is using an account with my username instead. However, running the command psql fails because when I type in my password, it says it's wrong. I've retried it to make sure I'm not typing it wrong. So what's the password it gave me?

pdobb
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Hugo
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    See also this question: http://stackoverflow.com/questions/7695962/postgresql-password-authentication-failed-for-user-postgres?rq=1 – DNA May 20 '14 at 20:49
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    It usually creates an account with your username but no password assigned. – tadman May 20 '14 at 21:00
  • What is the exact error message? – jjanes May 20 '14 at 21:57
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    @tadman I noticed my install did create an account with my user name however when it prompts for passwords and I just hit enter (assuming this would satisfy no password), it just repeats the prompt for a password. Are you aware of way to actually authenticate as the default user or is this not possible? – Kevin Dark May 17 '20 at 04:33

5 Answers5

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As per tadman's comment, Homebrew postgres currently creates an account with the same name as the installing user, but no password. E.g. after my initial install (username david):

$ psql postgres
psql (12.2)
Type "help" for help.

postgres=# \du
                                   List of roles
 Role name |                         Attributes                         | Member of 
-----------+------------------------------------------------------------+-----------
 david     | Superuser, Create role, Create DB, Replication, Bypass RLS | {}
David Moles
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    Homebrew is constantly prompting for a password for any user (whether psql -U postgres or just psql postgres), fresh after installation. There does not seem to be a user without a password. – Cheetaiean Jun 04 '20 at 20:25
  • @Cheetaiean did you figure out a solution? – ricks Dec 07 '21 at 23:46
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There are two different "accounts" here:

  1. The OS X user that owns the PostgreSQL files and processes. When you installed PostgreSQL, you used your own user account for that.

  2. The PostgreSQL user that can log in to the PostgreSQL database. By default, that user is internal to your PostgreSQL instance and has nothing to do with any OS X user.

For psql, you need #2. Immediately after installation, there should be a user named "postgres" with no password that has full administrative privileges - try logging in with those credentials (and change the password to something secure ASAP).

Peter Headland
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When installing on a mac via homebrew, the default user that is created is named the same as your mac's user account. There is no password, and running psql should get you in.

If not, you likely ALSO have the postgres application installed. If you uninstall the application it will no longer have issues with clashing users.

Colby
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I my self run in to the same problem, turned out I had Postgres already installed without Homebrew. After I deleted that install, the homebrew install worked and it didn't prompt me for a password anymore.

Stirner
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I ran into the same probelm and solved like this. This could be due to the reason that you installed postgres previously from other sources and then tried uninstalling. It did leave postgres user account on your system. Go to user & accounts from system preferences. From there, remove the postgres user account. Now restart and then try installing with brew. This should work.

Koushik Das
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