---
title: How to manage a secret with Secret Manager
description: Learn how to effectively manage secrets in Scaleway's Secret Manager. Explore steps to copy secret IDs, update descriptions, apply secret protection, and manage ephemeral policies effortlessly.
tags: sensitive-data secure credentials
dates:
  validation: 2025-09-22
  posted: 2023-02-21
---
import Requirements from '@macros/iam/requirements.mdx'


The process of managing a secret might differ depending on whether your secret is [ephemeral](/secret-manager/concepts/#ephemeral-secret) or not.

Find out how to copy the ID of your [secret](/secret-manager/concepts/#secret), how to update its description and tags, how to enable [secret protection](/secret-manager/concepts/#secret-protection) on it, and how to update its [ephemeral policy](/secret-manager/concepts/#ephemeral-policy) using the [Scaleway console](https://console.scaleway.com).

<Requirements />

- A Scaleway account logged into the [console](https://console.scaleway.com)
- [Owner](/iam/concepts/#owner) status or [IAM permissions](/iam/concepts/#permission) allowing you to perform actions in the intended Organization
- [Generated an API key](/iam/how-to/create-api-keys/) and enabled the `SecretManagerFullAccess` [permission set](/iam/reference-content/permission-sets/)
- [Created a secret](/secret-manager/how-to/create-secret/)

<Tabs>
  <TabsTab label="Manage a non ephemeral secret">
      1. Click **Secret Manager** in the **Security & Identity** section of the [Scaleway console](https://console.scaleway.com/) side menu.
      2. Select the [region](/secret-manager/concepts/#region), in the **Region** drop-down.
      3. Access the secret you wish to manage. The secret's **Overview** tab displays.
      4. Click the copy icon next to **Secret's ID** to copy the ID of your secret.
      5. Add a description under the **Description** section and save it.
      6. Click <Icon name="toggle" /> under the **Secret protection** section to enable or disable [secret protection](/secret-manager/concepts/#secret-protection).
      7. Click the **Tags** bar and add tags to organize your secret.
  </TabsTab>
  <TabsTab label="Manage an ephemeral secret">
      1. Click **Secret Manager** in the **Security & Identity** section of the [Scaleway console](https://console.scaleway.com/) side menu.
      2. Select the [region](/secret-manager/concepts/#region), in the **Region** drop-down.
      3. Access the secret you wish to manage. The secret's **Overview** tab displays.
      4. Click the copy icon next to **Secret's ID** to copy the ID of your secret.
      5. Add a description under the **Description** section and save it.
      6. Click <Icon name="toggle" /> under the **Secret protection** section to enable or disable [secret protection](/secret-manager/concepts/#secret-protection).
      7. Edit the [ephemeral policy](/secret-manager/concepts/#ephemeral-policy) as you wish and click **Save**.
          <Message type="important">
            Updating a secret's ephemeral policy impacts the secret's disabled versions when you enable them again: if you have created a version with the previous ephemeral policy's settings, disabled the version, and updated the ephemeral policy, the version will inherit its settings from those of the current policy when you enable it again.
          </Message>
  </TabsTab>
</Tabs>