---
title: Customizing authentication error messages
description: When a user fails to sign on, PingFederate parses the response from the datastore and shows a corresponding error message on the login page. In the password credential validator configuration, you can customize which error message is triggered based on the response from the datastore.
component: pingone
page_id: pingone:pingone_integration_kit:pf_p1_ik_customizing_authentication_error_messages
canonical_url: https://docs.pingidentity.com/integrations/pingone/pingone_integration_kit/pf_p1_ik_customizing_authentication_error_messages.html
revdate: June 18, 2024
section_ids:
  about-this-task: About this task
  steps: Steps
  choose-from: Choose from:
---

# Customizing authentication error messages

When a user fails to sign on, PingFederate parses the response from the datastore and shows a corresponding error message on the login page. In the password credential validator configuration, you can customize which error message is triggered based on the response from the datastore.

## About this task

By adding rules that check the datastore response for specific text, you can trigger one of the default error messages or a custom error message.

The default error messages are defined in `<pf_install>/pingfederate/server/default/conf/language-packs/pingfederate-messages.properties`. This file is part of the PingFederate localization framework, and can be adapted to other languages. Learn more in [Localizing messages for end users](https://docs.pingidentity.com/pingfederate/latest/administrators_reference_guide/pf_local_message_end_users.html) in the PingFederate documentation.

## Steps

1. Under **Authentication Error Overrides**, click **Add a new row to 'Authentication Error Overrides'**.

2. In the **Match Expression** field, enter the text, including wildcards (`*`), that you want to trigger the error message.

   For example, `*disabled*` triggers an error message when the word "disabled" appears anywhere in the response from the datastore.

3. Set the error message that you want to show:

   ### Choose from:

   * To use a default error message, in the **Error** list, select a default error message.

   * To define a new error message:

     1. In the **Error** list, select **Custom Message Key**.

     2. In the **Error Message Key** field, enter a unique key, such as `pingone.authn.srvr.msg.<your.key.suffix>`.

     3. Open the `<pf_install>/pingfederate/server/default/conf/language-packs/pingfederate-messages.properties` file.

     4. Add a line with the error message key and message.

        Use the following format:

        ```
        pingone.authn.srvr.msg.<your.key.suffix>=There was an error. Please try again.
        ```

     5. Save the file.

     6. If you support multiple languages, repeat steps c-e for each equivalent file in `language-packs`.

     7. Restart PingFederate to reload the message files.

4. Click **Update**.