# rpk cloud auth use

> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.redpanda.com/llms.txt). Component-specific: [cloud-data-platform-full.txt](https://docs.redpanda.com/cloud-data-platform-full.txt)

---
title: rpk cloud auth use
latest-operator-version: v26.1.4
latest-console-tag: v3.7.3
latest-connect-version: 4.93.0
latest-redpanda-tag: v26.1.9
docname: rpk/rpk-cloud/rpk-cloud-auth-use
page-component-name: cloud-data-platform
page-version: master
page-component-version: master
page-component-title: Cloud
page-relative-src-path: rpk/rpk-cloud/rpk-cloud-auth-use.adoc
page-edit-url: https://github.com/redpanda-data/cloud-docs/edit/main/modules/reference/pages/rpk/rpk-cloud/rpk-cloud-auth-use.adoc
page-git-created-date: "2024-07-25"
page-git-modified-date: "2026-05-26"
---

<!-- Source: https://docs.redpanda.com/cloud-data-platform/reference/rpk/rpk-cloud/rpk-cloud-auth-use.md -->

Select the `rpk` cloud authentication (auth) to use.

This swaps the current cloud authentication to the specified cloud authentication. If your current profile is a cloud profile, this unsets the current profile (because the authorization is now different). If your current profile is for a Redpanda Streaming cluster, the profile is kept.

## [](#usage)Usage

```bash
rpk cloud auth use [NAME] [flags]
```

## [](#flags)Flags

| Value | Type | Description |
| --- | --- | --- |
| -h, --help | - | Help for use. |
| --config | string | Redpanda or rpk config file; default search paths are /var/lib/redpanda/.config/rpk/rpk.yaml, $PWD/redpanda.yaml, and /etc/redpanda/redpanda.yaml. |
| -X, --config-opt | stringArray | Override rpk configuration settings. See rpk -X or execute rpk -X help for inline detail or rpk -X list for terser detail. |
| --profile | string | Profile to use. See rpk profile for more details. |
| -v, --verbose | - | Enable verbose logging. |