## TL;DR

When DataForSEO returns a bare 401, check which password you used.

## Fix

1. When DataForSEO returns a bare 401, check which password you used.
   Expected: you can confirm this matches your situation.

## When to use

- You are dealing with this situation.
- The symptom matches: 401 on auth - use the dashboard API password, not your login password.

## When NOT to use

- Unrelated issues with a different cause.
- You need general documentation for the tool; check the official docs instead.

## Compatibility

Reported per the linked source.

## Variant phrasings

### 401 on auth - use the dashboard API password, not your login password

## Why it happens

DataForSEO field notes (market-intel tools reference): auth is HTTP Basic with your account login as the username and the API password from the dashboard - NOT your account login password. Pasting the account password fails with an unhelpful HTTP 401.

## Edge cases

- If your error message differs even slightly, this is probably a different issue; search the exact text.
- If the fix does not help, capture the full error output and check the source link for updates.