How to Change Your Mail Password

To change the password on a mail account, open the email provider’s official account security settings, choose the password option, verify your identity, enter a strong new password, and save the change.

Before You Change Your Mail Password

Before you change a mail password, confirm the exact email address for the account. People sometimes have several addresses or use one address as the recovery contact for another.

Have the following information and access ready:

• Your complete email address, including the part after the at sign.
• Your current password, if the provider asks for it before allowing a security change.
• Access to a recovery email address or phone that is already connected to the account.
• A device or browser that you have used with the account before, if identity verification is required.
• Any authenticator app, security key, backup code, or trusted device used for multifactor authentication.

Multifactor authentication is an extra identity check after the password, such as a code from an authenticator app or approval on a trusted device. Do not sign out of every working device before the change is complete. An existing signed-in session may help you reach security settings or confirm ownership.

How to Change Your Mail Password

Menu names differ among email providers, so use the provider’s official account area and look for labels such as Security, Sign-in and security, Password, or Account settings. Do not assume that changing a password inside a mail app changes the password held by the email provider.

1. Open the company’s official website and sign in to the email account whose password you want to change.
2. Open the account profile or account settings, then select the security or sign-in section.
3. Choose Password, Change password, or the closest matching option.
4. Enter the current password if requested. Complete any additional identity check shown by the provider.
5. Create a new password that is long, unique, and not used for another account. Follow the provider’s displayed password rules.
6. Enter the new password again if a confirmation field appears.
7. Select Save, Update, Change password, or the equivalent button, then wait for confirmation that the change was accepted.

These are general steps for how to change mail password settings; the exact labels and verification requirements depend on the provider. Store the new password in a trusted password manager so you do not have to reuse or simplify it.

If You Forgot Your Current Password

If you forgot the current mail password, use the official password-recovery option instead of repeatedly guessing. It is commonly labeled Forgot password, Reset password, Trouble signing in, or Account recovery.

1. Go to the email provider’s official sign-in page through the company’s official website.
2. Enter the full email address and select the password-recovery option.
3. Choose an available verification method presented by the provider.
4. Retrieve the code or approval request from the registered recovery method and complete the identity check.
5. Create and confirm a new password when the provider allows the reset.

Enter verification codes only on the provider’s official page or app. If you no longer have a listed recovery method, look for another recovery choice and answer only the questions the provider presents. Recovery options vary, and account access is not guaranteed when ownership cannot be verified.

Update the Password on Your Devices

After you change password on mail account settings, saved copies of the old password may remain on other devices. Some apps ask for the new password automatically, while others continue showing an authentication or synchronization error until the account is updated.

• Phone or tablet mail app: Open the device’s account or mail settings and respond to any prompt to sign in again. If no prompt appears, open the affected mail account’s settings.
• Provider’s official app: Sign in again if the app ended the old session. Use the new account password unless the provider specifically requests another credential.
• Web browser: Replace an old password stored by the browser or password manager. Confirm that autofill is not inserting the previous password.
• Desktop mail client: Open the account or server settings and update the saved credential if the client does not display a sign-in prompt.
• Other connected devices: Check secondary phones, tablets, computers, and other devices that regularly retrieve mail.

Do not remove a mail account from a device until you know the new password works in the provider’s official sign-in page. Removing an account can also remove locally stored mail or settings, depending on the app.

If the New Password Does Not Work

If a new mail password does not work, first type it manually instead of using autofill. Check capitalization, keyboard layout, unexpected spaces, and whether you selected the correct email address.

• Outdated saved password: Delete or replace the old entry in the browser, password manager, mail app, or desktop client.
• Wrong account: Verify the complete email address. A recovery address or similarly named account may have a different password.
• Account lock: Stop repeated attempts and follow the provider’s displayed recovery or security instructions.
• App-specific credential: Some providers require a separate app password for certain mail clients. An app password is a provider-generated credential used by a particular app instead of the main account password. Check the official security settings to see whether this applies.
• Session not refreshed: Close and reopen the app or browser, then sign in again when prompted.

If the password works on the provider’s official sign-in page but not in a mail app, the problem is probably the app’s saved credential or connection settings rather than the new password itself. Use the provider’s official help options if recovery and displayed troubleshooting steps do not restore access.

Keep Your Email Account Secure

Protect the email account because it may be used to reset passwords for other services.

• Use a unique password that is not shared with banking, shopping, social media, or work accounts.
• Turn on multifactor authentication and keep backup methods in a secure place.
• Keep the recovery email address and recovery phone current.
• Review active sessions or signed-in devices in the account’s security settings and end sessions you do not recognize.
• Never send a password or verification code in email, text, or chat.
• Change the password promptly if you entered it on a suspicious page or notice unfamiliar account activity.