diff --git a/DEPLOYING.md b/DEPLOYING.md
index 318c17e..16e3186 100644
--- a/DEPLOYING.md
+++ b/DEPLOYING.md
@@ -220,10 +220,10 @@ When deploying your app on Azure or AWS, you may need to configure user credenti
 
 - **User Credentials Environment Variable**
 
-  Add credentials in the format `user=password`, separated by semicolons (`;`), to your web app's environment variables:
+  Add credentials in the format `user:password`, separated by semicolons (`;`), to your web app's environment variables:
 
   ```plaintext
-  USER_CREDENTIALS="user1=pwd1;user2=pwd2"
+  USER_CREDENTIALS="user1:pwd1;user2:pwd2"
   ```
 
 This setup ensures secure handling of user authentication and sensitive configurations across different deployment platforms. By using these configurations, you can maintain control over user access and protect essential settings.
diff --git a/app/components/app_auth.py b/app/components/app_auth.py
index dd46b55..0f97282 100644
--- a/app/components/app_auth.py
+++ b/app/components/app_auth.py
@@ -51,8 +51,8 @@ def load_passwords() -> None:
     if credentials_string:
         user_pairs = credentials_string.split(";")
         for pair in user_pairs:
-            if "=" in pair:
-                user, password = pair.split("=")
+            if ":" in pair:
+                user, password = pair.split(":")
                 credentials_dict[user] = password
 
         secrets_content = {"passwords": credentials_dict}