--- sourceDocument: Australia Platform security sourceDocumentLink: https://www.servicenow.com/docs/r/australia/platform-security Release : - australia ft:locale : - en-US ft:publication_title : - Australia Platform security ft:clusterId : - psec bundleId : - psec workflow : - Platform --- # Account recovery (ACR) # Account recovery (ACR) {#ariaid-title1} Release version: Australia Updated March 12, 2026 ![](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/portal-asset/ico-clock) 2 minutes to read Summarize ![AI sparkle icon](https://servicenow.com/docs/portal-asset/ai-sparkle-icon) Summarized using AI This content was generated using new OpenAI-powered functionality. Results are provided on an as is basis and are not guaranteed to be accurate or complete. ## Summary of Account Recovery (ACR) Account Recovery (ACR) is a feature designed to help ServiceNow administrators manage recovery activities related to Single Sign-On (SSO) issues, such as misconfiguration or expired certificates. It provides a secure bypass mechanism for SSO login, enabling administrators to log in using an account recovery user to resolve SSO-related problems. When ACR is enabled, local interactive logins (username and password) are disabled if SSO is active, enhancing security by reducing unauthorized access. Show full answer Show less ## Key Features * **SSO Bypass:** Allows administrators to bypass SSO login to fix configuration issues or expired certificates. * **Self-Service Recovery:** Enables administrators to perform recovery tasks independently without needing external support. * **Security Controls:** Restricts unauthorized access by disabling local login when SSO is enabled, unless ACR is disabled. * **Multi-SSO Plugin Integration:** Requires activation of the Multi-SSO plugin (com.snc.integration.sso.multi.installer) for ACR functionality. ## Implementation Steps ### For Fresh Instances * Activate the Multi-SSO plugin. * Enable ACR via the system property `glide.sso.acr.enabled` (enabled by default). * Enroll at least one administrator as an ACR user before enabling SSO (`glide.authenticate.multisso.enabled`). * Set a password for local login and register multi-factor authentication (MFA) before ACR enrollment. * Note that disabling `glide.authenticate.multisso.enabled` does not disable Multi-SSO if ACR remains enabled; both ACR and local login must be disabled to allow username/password login. ### For Upgraded Instances * Activate the Multi-SSO plugin. * Enable ACR explicitly (it is not enabled by default on upgrades). * Enroll an administrator as an ACR user before enabling SSO. * Ensure local login password and MFA registration are completed before ACR enrollment. ## Configuration Requirements * At least one administrator account must be registered as an account recovery user to activate SSO. * The account recovery feature is part of the Multi-Provider Single Sign-On Installer plugin and is enabled by default. * System properties control ACR settings and behavior, allowing customization as needed. ## Operational Behavior Once ACR is enabled and an account recovery user is registered, local login methods are restricted by the authentication policy context named **SSO - ACR Context**. This policy ensures that all logins follow the configured SSO and recovery protocols to maintain security. Administrators can learn more about authentication policies and contexts under Adaptive Authentication documentation. Administrators can configure account recovery (ACR) to perform recovery activities such as addressing SSO misconfiguration or expired certificates. Note: Enabling ACR disables the local interactive log-ins (username or password based) when SSO is enabled to your instances. ACR provides the following capabilities: * Bypass your single sign-on (SSO) login to address issues with SSO configuration as an administrator. * Log in with using SSO to perform tasks with an administrator account configured as an account recovery. * ACR flows enable the administrators to use self-service capabilities to address account recovery when there's a need for recovery, for example, SSO miss-configuration, expired certificates. * Reduce unauthorized access to the instance and provide a strong foundation to use ACR outside SSO use cases. {#sso-acct-recovery__ul_h42_vwq_jrb} ## Fresh Instance {#sso-acct-recovery__section_hmk_tv5_prb} For a fresh instance to use ACR, you must do the following: * Activate Multi-SSO plugin (com.snc.integration.sso.multi.installer) * Enable ACR (glide.sso.acr.enabled) - This is enabled by default in case of a fresh instance. * Before enabling SSO property (glide.authenticate.multisso.enabled), the administrator must enroll as an ACR user. Note: Setting this property to false will not disable multi-provider SSO if Account Recovery (ACR) is also enabled on the instance. To log in with a username and password ACR must also be disabled using the glide.sso.acr.enabled property. For details on this property see [Account recovery properties](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/sj13YfZJi1rWQorOEyhEVw "Use system properties to configure Account Recovery (ACR) on your instance."). * Administrator must set a password for local login and register MFA before enrolling as an ACR user. {#sso-acct-recovery__ul_hkw_wxq_jrb} ## Upgraded Instance {#sso-acct-recovery__section_gmz_5v5_prb} For an upgraded instance to use ACR, you must do the following: * Activate Multi-SSO plugin (com.snc.integration.sso.multi.installer) * Enable ACR (glide.sso.acr.enabled) Note: In case of upgraded instance, the administrator must enable ACR. * Before enabling SSO property (glide.authenticate.multisso.enabled), the administrator must enroll as an ACR user. * Administrator must set a password for local login and register MFA before enrolling as an ACR user. {#sso-acct-recovery__ul_vkq_t22_krb} ## Configure account recovery users {#sso-acct-recovery__section_zwg_dcc_gqb} To use account recovery, you must register at least one admin account as an account recovery user. Single sign-on can't be activated on your instance until there is at least one account configured. For details on this process, see [Configure an account recovery user from the Account Recovery Properties page](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/89yDWDZh8kj3fH_fUncKMQ#config-acct-recovery "Configure an account recovery from the Account Recovery properties page."). Note: If you're upgrading an instance already using single sign-on to Rome or a later release, single-sign on will continue to function without a recovery user configured. ## Account recovery configuration {#sso-acct-recovery__section_xz5_b2c_gqb} The account recovery feature is included with the Integration - Multiple Provider Single Sign-On Installer (com.snc.integration.sso.multi.installer) plugins. The feature is enabled by default. You can change this and other account recovery settings using system properties. For details on these properties, see [Account recovery properties](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/sj13YfZJi1rWQorOEyhEVw "Use system properties to configure Account Recovery (ACR) on your instance."). ## Account recovery policy context {#sso-acct-recovery__section_cyh_sfc_gqb} After you've registered an account recovery user and enabled single sign-on (SSO), your instance restricts all local logins. This restriction is defined in the SSO - ACR Context auth policy context. For more information about the context, see [Account recovery context](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/ykM6PN7mccEnWxE2X0mLtw "The account recovery context uses a policy to define how and when the account recovery can be established."). For details on how authentication policies and policy contexts, and how they work on your instance, see [Adaptive authentication](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/RECnBVWW10BjzyUlv_wSVQ "Use the Adaptive authentication policy framework to enforce contextual authentication controls to the right users at the right time. Adaptive authentication uses authentication policies to evaluate authentication requests and then either deny or allow access to your instance based on the specified policy conditions.").