How to find a Jupyter Notebook login token

A running Jupyter Notebook server uses a one-time token when password authentication is not active. The tokenized URL lets the same user reopen the Notebook interface after the startup terminal scrollback is gone, a browser profile changes, or a local port has to be matched to the right session.

Notebook 7 runs on Jupyter Server, so the active local server records are listed with jupyter server list. The listing is tied to the operating system account that started the server and shows each URL beside the notebook root directory.

Treat the tokenized URL as a login secret. Copy only the entry that matches the expected port and directory, mask the token in tickets or screenshots, and expect no ?token= value when the server is using a saved password or authentication is disabled.

1. Open a terminal as the same user that started Jupyter Notebook.

   Jupyter Server runtime records are stored per user. A different account can show no running servers even when another user's Notebook session is active.

2. List the running Jupyter Server instances.

   $ jupyter server list
   Currently running servers:
   http://127.0.0.1:8897/?token=<token> :: /srv/notebooks

   The tokenized URL grants access to the running Notebook session. Do not paste the real token into shared tickets, screenshots, chat, or public logs.

3. Match the row by port and notebook root directory.

   If several rows appear, use the URL whose port and directory match the session you want to reopen. A row without ?token= usually means a password is configured or token authentication is not active for that server.

4. Copy the full URL from the matching row.
5. Open the copied URL in the browser that needs access and confirm the Notebook file browser loads.
6. Paste only the token value into the login form if the browser opens the login page without the query string.

   Jupyter Server also accepts the token in the login form password field when the full tokenized URL is unavailable.

7. Verify the same token from a terminal when browser access is unavailable.

   $ curl --silent --show-error "http://127.0.0.1:8897/api/status?token=<token>"
   {"connections": 0, "kernels": 0, "last_activity": "2026-07-06T13:33:00.486083Z", "started": "2026-07-06T13:33:00.486083Z"}

   Token-authenticated shell requests can be saved in shell history. Use the terminal check only on a trusted local shell, and prefer the copied browser URL for normal login.