New Horizon Experience. This article describes the New Horizon Experience, which is available now. As of September 28, 2026, New Horizon is the default starting point on a computer or laptop. In the Horizon WebRef mobile apps for Android and iOS, New Horizon is already what you see. If you still have the older layout, choose Switch to New Horizon from the banner or your account menu. You can switch back to Legacy Horizon from that menu any time during the transition.
A safe password is one that a program or person cannot guess quickly. When you create or change a password in HorizonWebRef, the page rates it as you type and shows a live Password requirements checklist. Your new password must meet those rules and reach a strength that Horizon accepts before you can save it.
You see that checklist on Update login credentials when you change your password from Personal Profile (Security), from Password in your account menu, or when Horizon asks you to set a permanent password after a temporary sign-in. Step-by-step for changing a password is in How do I customize my username or password?.
What your password must include
Horizon lists these items under Password requirements. Each turns green when that rule is met:
At least 12 characters (shown as 12+ characters)
A lowercase letter
An uppercase letter
A number
A symbol
Hard to guess, meaning the password must pass Horizon's strength check (not a common or easy pattern, and not built from dictionary words Horizon blocks)
Next to Password requirements you also see a strength label such as Weak, OK, Good, or Strong. Keep typing until every checklist item is green and the strength label shows that the password is strong enough to save. The new password cannot match your current password, and it cannot match your username.
On a phone, the checklist sits on the Change Password card under the new password fields.
On a computer, Change Password sits beside Change Username on Update login credentials. The same checklist and strength label appear under the new password fields.
Tips for creating a secure password
Include punctuation marks and/or numbers.
Mix capital and lowercase letters.
Include similar-looking substitutions, such as the number zero for the letter O or $ for the letter S.
Create a unique acronym.
Include phonetic replacements, such as Luv 2 Laf instead of Love to Laugh.
Try using made-up words that cannot be found in an English dictionary.
Things to avoid
Avoid dictionary words. Horizon blocks many of them on purpose, so a password built around a common word often fails the Hard to guess check even when it looks long enough. That includes sports roles and team names (for example Referee, Umpire, or Yankees), personal names, birth years, the current year, and other everyday English words.
Do not reuse passwords for multiple important accounts, such as email and online banking.
Do not use a password that is listed as an example of how to pick a good password.
Do not use a password that contains personal information (your name, birth date, year of birth, current year, and so on).
Do not use words or acronyms that can be found in an English dictionary. Horizon rejects many of those terms, including role words such as Referee or Umpire, sports team names such as Yankees, personal names, birth years, and the current year.
Do not use keyboard patterns (asdf, qwerty, zxcv) or sequential numbers (1234, 9876).
Do not use a password that contains a year in it (birth year, current year, and so on).
Do not make your password all numbers, all uppercase letters, or all lowercase letters. Mix it up.
Do not use repeating characters (aa11).
Do not use sports team names or common English dictionary words (for example yankees99, redsox04, cowboys95, hockey1, baseballman22).
Do not use common bad passwords (123456, password, password123, qwerty, abc123, welcome, letmein, baseball, football, and so on).
Tips for keeping your password secure
Never tell your username or password to anyone (this includes your assignor, friends, significant others, roommates, HorizonWebRef staff members, parrots, and so on).
Never write your password down.
Never send your password by email.
Periodically test your current password and change it to a new one.
Horizon technical support will never ask you for your username or password under any circumstances.
If you still see the older layout
On a computer or laptop, New Horizon is the default starting point as of September 28, 2026. The older legacy layout appears only if you switched back to Legacy Horizon. This article describes the New Horizon screen. Until that older layout is retired, use the English words you see there.
On that older screen, password rules may appear under a heading such as Strong Password Requirements next to or below the new password fields. The same idea applies: meet every checklist item and pass the strength rating before you save.