How to get PayPal API Credentials?

PayPal provides API access to Business or Premier accounts to integrate their PayPal account(s) with their online shop or shopping cart(s). PayPal API Credentials consist of three elements: API Username, API Password, and API Signature. This article explains the steps to get PayPal API Credentials.

Step (1). Log in to your PayPal Business account (or) Premier account. Yes, you should have PayPal Business or Premier account to get PayPal API Username, Password, and Signature information.

Step (2). Click on the My Account tab and select the Profile link to display the My Profile page.

Step (3). From My Profile page, click on the My selling tools link.

Step (4). Under the Selling online section, look for an API access item. If the Selling online section is not expanded click the [+] symbol before it to expand the section.

Step (5). Click on the Update link which is next to the API access item. It will open the API Access page.

Step (6). On the API Access page, click on the Request API credentials link which is under “Option 2 – Request API credentials to create your own API username and password”.

Step (7). Once you click on the Request API credentials link, it displays the Request API Credentials page.

Step (8). Now select the Request API signature radio button.

Step (9). You should read the API license agreement and terms of use by clicking on the API License Agreement and Terms of Use link.

Step (10). Click on Agree and Submit button if you are OK with the license agreement and terms of use. Otherwise, click on the Cancel button.

Step (11). Once you click on Agree and Submit button, PayPal will create the API Username, API Password, and API Signature elements and display them on the “View or Remove API Signature” page.

Step (12). Click on the Done button to keep your API credentials. If you don’t want these API Credentials you can come to this page and click on the Remove button to remove the API credentials. Make sure your API Credentials are not configured to any online shopping cart(s). Otherwise, your shopping cart(s) may not work properly if you remove your API credentials.

Once you get your API Credentials, copy and paste them into your shopping cart configuration page. Do not share your credentials information with anyone.