iDRAC Default Password (iDRAC 9/8/7 Reference Table)

Short answer

What is the default iDRAC password? The default iDRAC username is always root. On iDRAC 7 and iDRAC 8 (and some iDRAC 9 exception models), the default password is calvin. On 14th-generation PowerEdge and newer, each server ships with a unique factory password printed on the pull-out system information tag — not calvin. If neither works, reset the iDRAC.

The iDRAC username is root on every generation. The password is where it gets version-specific: older controllers use the fixed password calvin, while 14th-generation PowerEdge and newer ship with a unique per-server password printed on a pull-out tag. This reference maps iDRAC 7, 8, and 9 to their PowerEdge generation and default-login behavior, and covers what to do on a refurbished unit where the sticker or password may be gone. Last verified: July 16, 2026.

The short answer, by generation

Two rules cover almost every Dell server you will touch:

Username is always root — this has not changed across iDRAC 6, 7, 8, or 9.
Password depends on generation. iDRAC 7 (12th-gen) and iDRAC 8 (13th-gen) ship with the universal password calvin. iDRAC 9 (14th-gen PowerEdge and newer) ships with a unique, randomly generated password printed on the server's system information tag — unless the buyer ordered the legacy calvin default, or the unit is one of a few exception models.

If you are logging into a mixed fleet of used gear, sort machines by PowerEdge generation first, then apply the right default. A 13th-gen R730 takes calvin; a 14th-gen R740 almost never does.

iDRAC default password reference table (7 / 8 / 9)

iDRAC generation	PowerEdge generation	Example models	Default username	Default password behavior
iDRAC6	11G	R610, R710, T610	`root`	Fixed password `calvin`
iDRAC7	12G	R620, R720, R720xd, T620	`root`	Fixed password `calvin`
iDRAC8	13G	R630, R730, R730xd, T630	`root`	Fixed password `calvin`
iDRAC9	14G	R440, R640, R740, R740xd, R940	`root`	Unique per-unit password on the system information tag (secure default). `calvin` only if chosen at order, or on the C6420 / M640 / FC640
iDRAC9	15G / 16G	R650, R750, R660, R760	`root`	Same secure default: unique per-unit password printed on the tag

Note the break point: everything through iDRAC 8 uses calvin; iDRAC 9 flips to a per-server secret. If you have a 12G/13G box that will not take calvin, a previous owner changed it — see the refurbished-unit section below.

The "secure default password" change on 14G (iDRAC 9)

Starting with 14th-generation PowerEdge and iDRAC 9, Dell stopped shipping a universal default. Per Dell's iDRAC9 documentation, "all supported systems are shipped with a unique default password for iDRAC, unless you choose to set calvin as the password while ordering the system." The username stays root; only the password becomes per-unit.

This is what the "iDRAC 14G default password" question really means: there is no single 14G password. Each chassis has its own. Three things override the unique default:

Situation	Applies to	Default password
Standard secure default	Most 14G+ PowerEdge, standard order	Unique password on the system information tag
Legacy chosen at order	Any 14G+ where the buyer selected the legacy default	`calvin`
Exception models	PowerEdge C6420, M640, FC640	`calvin`

So on a 14G server, try the tag password first; fall back to calvin only if the tag is missing or the model is one of the three exceptions.

Where to find the unique password sticker

On 14G rack servers the unique iDRAC password lives on the pull-out information tag at the front of the chassis, near the asset tag. To read it: locate the small tab (usually behind the left rack ear or a front bezel slot), pull the tag straight out, and look for the label marked iDRAC Secure Password alongside the Service Tag, Express Service Code, and iDRAC MAC address. On many 14G units the same information is duplicated on a mini Enterprise Service Tag (EST) on the rear of the chassis.

On a 2U box like the Dell PowerEdge R740xd, the tag slides out from the front near the drive bays; you do not need to open the lid. Photograph the label before you rack the server — once it is in a cabinet, that tag is hard to reach.

If the printed password contains ambiguous characters, note that Dell's factory passwords intentionally avoid look-alikes, but on faded refurb labels people still confuse 0/O and 1/l/I. Type it exactly as printed, case-sensitive.

Refurbished units: sticker or password gone

On used hardware, three failure modes are common: the pull-out tag was removed or replaced, the label is unreadable, or a prior admin already changed the iDRAC password so neither calvin nor the printed value works. When that happens, stop guessing and reset iDRAC to its factory state.

Resetting iDRAC to default settings restores the password the unit shipped with — the unique tag password on a secure-default 14G, or calvin on a 12G/13G or a legacy-configured unit. It does not invent a new password, so you still need the tag for 14G+ units.
If the unit shipped with a unique password and the tag is truly gone, you may need physical/local access (racadm over the host OS or the recovery path) to set a fresh password. Do not assume a reset turns a 14G server back into calvin — it will not unless calvin was the ordered default.

Full step-by-step methods — web UI, racadm, and local recovery — are in how to reset iDRAC. Treat a first login as a security event: change the default immediately, and verify firmware and settings before the server touches production.

Last verified 16 July 2026 against Dell KB 000133536 and the iDRAC9 Security Configuration Guide.

Frequently asked questions

What is the default username for iDRAC?

The default iDRAC username is root on every generation — iDRAC 6, 7, 8, and 9. Dell has not changed the default username with the secure-default-password feature; only the password became unique per unit on 14th-generation PowerEdge and newer.

Is the iDRAC password always calvin?

No. calvin is the fixed default only on iDRAC 7 (12th-gen) and iDRAC 8 (13th-gen), plus older iDRAC 6. On 14th-generation PowerEdge and later, iDRAC 9 ships with a unique password printed on the system information tag unless calvin was chosen at order.

What is the iDRAC 9 (14G) default password?

There is no single one. Each 14G+ server has a unique, factory-generated iDRAC password on its pull-out system information tag. The exceptions that still default to calvin are the PowerEdge C6420, M640, and FC640, plus any unit where the buyer selected the legacy calvin default at order.

Where is the iDRAC password sticker on a Dell server?

On 14G rack servers it is on the pull-out information tag at the front of the chassis, near the asset tag, labeled iDRAC Secure Password. The same details often appear on a mini Enterprise Service Tag on the rear. On a unit like the R740xd, the tag slides out from the front without opening the lid.

calvin does not work on my 14G server — what now?

That server almost certainly shipped with a unique password, not calvin. Read the pull-out information tag for the printed iDRAC password. If the tag is missing or the password was changed by a prior owner, follow how to reset iDRAC to restore the shipped default.

Does resetting iDRAC restore the calvin password?

Only if the unit originally shipped with calvin. Resetting iDRAC to default settings restores whatever password the server was shipped with — the unique tag password on a secure-default 14G, or calvin on a 12G/13G or a legacy-configured unit. A reset does not convert a unique-password server into calvin.

iDRAC default password (iDRAC 9 / 8 / 7 reference table)