# **eb setenv**
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## Description
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Sets [environment properties](environments-cfg-softwaresettings.md) for the default environment.

## Syntax
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**eb setenv *key*=*value*** 

You can include as many properties as you want, but the total size of all properties cannot exceed 4096 bytes. You can delete a variable by leaving the value blank. See [Configuring environment properties (environment variables)](environments-cfg-softwaresettings.md#environments-cfg-softwaresettings-console) for limits.

**Note**  
If the `value` contains a [special character](http://tldp.org/LDP/abs/html/special-chars.html), you must escape that character by preceding it with a `\` character.

## Options
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****  

|  Name  |  Description  | 
| --- | --- | 
|  --timeout  |  The number of minutes before the command times out.  | 
|  [Common options](eb3-cmd-options.md)  |  | 

## Output
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If successful, the command displays that the environment update succeeded.

## Example
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The following example sets the environment variable ExampleVar.

```
$ eb setenv ExampleVar=ExampleValue
2018-07-11 21:05:25    INFO: Environment update is starting.
2018-07-11 21:05:29    INFO: Updating environment tmp-dev's configuration settings.
2018-07-11 21:06:50    INFO: Successfully deployed new configuration to environment.
2018-07-11 21:06:51    INFO: Environment update completed successfully.
```

The following command sets multiple environment properties. It adds the environment property named `foo` and sets its value to `bar`, changes the value of the `JDBC_CONNECTION_STRING` property, and deletes the `PARAM4` and `PARAM5` properties.

```
$ eb setenv foo=bar JDBC_CONNECTION_STRING=hello PARAM4= PARAM5=
```