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Configuration Steps - AWS S3

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By Philip Robinson time 2 min read time️ Updated Nov 18, 2025

Table of Contents

  1. 1.How to Manage Access Keys for your AWS Account
  2. 1.1.To create, disable, or delete an access key for your AWS account root user
  3. 1.2.To create an access key:
  4. 1.3.To disable an existing access key
  5. 1.4.To delete an existing access key

Access keys are long-term credentials for an AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM) user or the AWS account root user. Access keys consist of two parts: an access key ID (for example, AKIAIOSFODNN7EXAMPLE) and a secret access key (for example, wJalrXUtnFEMI/K7MDENG/bPxRfiCYEXAMPLEKEY). You must use both the access key ID and secret access key together to authenticate your requests.

1. How to Manage Access Keys for your AWS Account

Follow these steps to manage access keys for your AWS account. For information about managing access keys for IAM users, see Managing Access Keys for IAM Users in the IAM User Guide.

1.1 To create, disable, or delete an access key for your AWS account root user

Use your AWS account email address and password to sign in to the AWS Management Console as the AWS account root user.

If you previously signed in to the console with IAM user credentials, your browser might remember this preference and open your account-specific sign-in page. You cannot use the IAM user sign-in page to sign in with your AWS account root user credentials. If you see the IAM user sign-in page, choose Sign-in using root user credentials near the bottom of the page to return to the main sign-in page. From there, you can type your AWS account email address and password.

  • On the IAM Dashboard page, choose your account name in the navigation bar, and then choose My Security Credentials.

  • If you see a warning about accessing the security credentials for your AWS account, choose Continue to Security Credentials.

  • Expand the Access keys (access key ID and secret access key) section.

  • Choose your preferred action:

1.2 To create an access key:

  • Choose Create New Access Key. Then choose Download Key File to save the access key ID and secret access key to a file on your computer. After you close the dialog box, you can't retrieve this secret access key again.

1.3 To disable an existing access key

  • Choose Make Inactive next to the access key that you are disabling. To reenable an inactive access key, choose Make Active.

1.4 To delete an existing access key

  • Before you delete an access key, make sure it's no longer in use. For more information, see Finding unused access keys in the IAM User Guide. You can't recover an access key after deleting it. To delete your access key, choose Delete next to the access key that you want to delete.