---
id: cloud-accounts.provider-secret-scores-weak
url: https://storagestudio.us/faq/cloud-accounts/provider-secret-scores-weak
category: "Cloud accounts"
subcategory: "Passwords, keys and privacy"
question: "My provider generated the secret key, so why does the strength meter call it weak?"
alt_questions:
  - "Generated secret key scored weak"
  - "Strength meter wrong about my secret"
  - "Provider secret flagged as weak Storage Studio"
  - "Can't save provider-issued key"
short_answer: "Provider-generated secrets are long and random and score strong, so a weak score usually means only part was pasted or a space crept in. Paste the full secret again and the meter should turn green."
tags: ["secret key", "strength meter", "troubleshooting"]
related: ["https://storagestudio.us/faq/cloud-accounts/password-strength-meter-explained", "https://storagestudio.us/faq/cloud-accounts/what-is-an-access-key-id"]
applies_to: "all"
last_reviewed: 2026-10-01
---

# My provider generated the secret key, so why does the strength meter call it weak?

Check you've pasted the whole secret. Provider-generated secret keys are long and random, so they score as strong; a low score almost always means only part of it was copied, or a space or line break crept in.

Copy the secret again from your password manager or provider, paste it fresh, and the meter should go green. When you edit an existing account and leave the secret unchanged, the meter doesn't judge it at all.