Edit IAM policies (console) - AWS Identity and Access Management
PrerequisitesEditing customer managed policies (console)Setting the default version of a customer managed policy (console)Deleting a version of a customer managed policy (console)Editing inline policies (console)

Edit IAM policies (console)

A policy is an entity that, when attached to an identity or resource, defines their permissions. You can use the AWS Management Console to edit customer managed policies and inline policies in IAM. AWS managed policies cannot be edited. The number and size of IAM resources in an AWS account are limited. For more information, see IAM and AWS STS quotas.

For more information about policy structure and syntax, see Policies and permissions in AWS Identity and Access Management and the IAM JSON policy element reference.

Prerequisites

Before you change the permissions for a policy, you should review its recent service-level activity. This is important because you don't want to remove access from a principal (person or application) who is using it. For more information about viewing last accessed information, see Refine permissions in AWS using last accessed information.

Editing customer managed policies (console)

You can edit customer managed policies to change the permissions that are defined in the policy from the AWS Management Console. A customer managed policy can have up to five versions. This is important because if you make changes to a managed policy beyond five versions, the AWS Management Console prompts you to decide which version to delete. You can also change the default version or delete a version of a policy before you edit it to avoid being prompted. To learn more about versions, see Versioning IAM policies.

IAM console
To edit a customer managed policy

  1. Sign in to the AWS Management Console and open the IAM console at https://console.aws.amazon.com/iam/.

  2. In the navigation pane, choose Policies.

  3. In the list of policies, choose the policy name of the policy to edit. You can use the search box to filter the list of policies.

  4. Choose the Permissions tab, and then choose Edit.

  5. Do one of the following:

    • Choose the Visual option to change your policy without understanding JSON syntax. You can make changes to the service, actions, resources, or optional conditions for each permission block in your policy. You can also import a policy to add additional permissions to the bottom of your policy. When you are finished making changes, choose Next to continue.

    • Choose the JSON option to modify your policy by typing or pasting text in the JSON text box. You can also import a policy to add additional permissions to the bottom of your policy. Resolve any security warnings, errors, or general warnings generated during policy validation, and then choose Next.

      Note

      You can switch between the Visual and JSON editor options any time. However, if you make changes or choose Next in the Visual editor, IAM might restructure your policy to optimize it for the visual editor. For more information, see Policy restructuring.

  6. On the Review and save page, review Permissions defined in this policy and then choose Save changes to save your work.

  7. If the managed policy already has the maximum of five versions, choosing Save changes displays a dialog box. To save your new version, the oldest non-default version of the policy is removed and replaced with this new version. Optionally, you can set the new version as the default policy version.

    Choose Save changes to save your new policy version.

Setting the default version of a customer managed policy (console)

You can set a default version of a customer managed policy from the AWS Management Console. You can use this policy to establish a consistent baseline configuration for permissions across your organization. All new attachments of the policy will use this standardized set of permissions.

IAM console
To set the default version of a customer managed policy (console)

  1. Sign in to the AWS Management Console and open the IAM console at https://console.aws.amazon.com/iam/.

  2. In the navigation pane, choose Policies.

  3. In the list of policies, choose the policy name of the policy to set the default version of. You can use the search box to filter the list of policies.

  4. Choose the Policy versions tab. Select the check box next to the version that you want to set as the default version, and then choose Set as default.

Deleting a version of a customer managed policy (console)

You might need to delete a version of a customer managed policy to remove outdated or incorrect permissions that are no longer needed or pose potential security risks. By maintaining only necessary versions, you can help ensure that you stay within the limit of five managed policy versions, allowing room for future updates and refinements. You can delete a version of a customer managed policy from the AWS Management Console.

IAM console
To delete a version of a customer managed policy

  1. Sign in to the AWS Management Console and open the IAM console at https://console.aws.amazon.com/iam/.

  2. In the navigation pane, choose Policies.

  3. Choose the name of the customer managed policy that has a version you want to delete. You can use the search box to filter the list of policies.

  4. Choose the Policy versions tab. Select the check box next to the version that you want to delete. Then choose Delete.

  5. Confirm that you want to delete the version, and then choose Delete.

Editing inline policies (console)

You might need to edit a customer managed policy to update or refine the permissions granted, ensuring they remain aligned with your organization's evolving security requirements and access control needs. Editing allows you to adjust the policy's JSON document, adding, modifying, or removing specific actions, resources, or conditions to maintain the principle of least privilege and adapt to changes in your environment or processes. You can edit an inline policy from the AWS Management Console.

IAM console
To edit an inline policy for a user, user group, or role

  1. In the navigation pane, choose Users, User groups, or Roles.

  2. Choose the name of the user, user group, or role with the policy that you want to modify. Then choose the Permissions tab and expand the policy.

  3. To edit an inline policy, choose Edit Policy.

  4. Do one of the following:

    • Choose the Visual option to change your policy without understanding JSON syntax. You can make changes to the service, actions, resources, or optional conditions for each permission block in your policy. You can also import a policy to add additional permissions to the bottom of your policy. When you are finished making changes, choose Next to continue.

    • Choose the JSON option to modify your policy by typing or pasting text in the JSON text box. You can also import a policy to add additional permissions to the bottom of your policy. Resolve any security warnings, errors, or general warnings generated during policy validation, and then choose Next. To save your changes without affecting the currently attached entities, clear the check box for Save as default version.

    Note

    You can switch between the Visual and JSON editor options any time. However, if you make changes or choose Next in the Visual editor, IAM might restructure your policy to optimize it for the visual editor. For more information, see Policy restructuring.

  5. On the Review page, review the policy summary and then choose Save changes to save your work.