Before You Try to Recover — Check These First
Before going through a full password reset, try these quick checks. You may already have the password saved somewhere and not realize it.
- Check your browser's saved passwords — Chrome, Edge, and Safari all have built-in password managers. In Chrome or Edge, go to Settings → Passwords (or Autofill → Passwords) to see saved logins.
- Make sure you're using the right email address — many people have two or three email accounts and try to log in with the wrong one.
- Try common variations of your password — a capital letter at the start, a number at the end, or a special character you may have added.
- Check if you're signed in on another device — if you're already logged in on your phone or tablet, you may be able to change the password from there without needing to recover it.
Tip: If your browser has saved your password, you can view it in plain text in the browser's password settings. In Chrome, go to chrome://password-manager/passwords and search for the site.
How to Recover Your Email Password
Email is the most common account people get locked out of. Here are the steps for the three most popular email providers:
- 1Gmail: Go to accounts.google.com and click "Forgot password?" Enter your email address, then verify your identity using your recovery phone number, backup email address, or by answering a security question.
- 2Outlook / Hotmail / Live: Go to account.live.com and click "Forgot password?" Choose to verify via a recovery email or phone number. Microsoft will send a security code.
- 3Yahoo Mail: Go to login.yahoo.com and click "Trouble signing in?" Enter your email address and follow the prompts to receive a verification code by phone or backup email.
- 4If you no longer have access to your recovery phone number or backup email, look for the option to verify your identity by answering security questions or providing account details.
- 5Once you receive the verification code, enter it and create a new password. Choose something you haven't used before.
Tip: After recovering your email, immediately update your recovery phone number and backup email address so you won't be locked out again in the future.
How to Recover Your Windows Password
Getting locked out of Windows is stressful, but there are several ways to get back in depending on how your account is set up.
- 1On the Windows login screen, click "I forgot my PIN" (if you use a PIN) or look for a "Reset password" link below the password field.
- 2If your Windows account is connected to a Microsoft account (most modern computers), you'll be directed to reset your password online at account.live.com.
- 3If you use a local account (not connected to Microsoft), you may be able to answer security questions you set up when you created the account.
- 4If security questions are available, answer them correctly and you'll be prompted to create a new password.
- 5If none of these options appear, try restarting the computer and pressing F8 during startup to access Advanced Boot Options, then choose Safe Mode with Networking.
Warning: If you are using a local Windows account with no recovery options set up, recovering access without professional help can be very difficult. A technician can reset the account without losing your files in most cases — but attempting some DIY methods found online can result in data loss.
How to Recover Your Apple ID
Your Apple ID is used for the App Store, iCloud, FaceTime, and iMessage. Losing access to it can lock you out of a lot. If you no longer have access to your trusted phone number or email address, Apple offers an Account Recovery process — this involves verifying your identity through a series of questions and can take several days to complete. Apple does this to protect your account from unauthorized access; there is no shortcut. Here's how to start the standard recovery:
- 1Go to iforgot.apple.com in any web browser
- 2Enter your Apple ID email address and click Continue
- 3Choose to reset your password via a trusted phone number (a code will be sent by text) or a trusted email address
- 4Enter the verification code you receive
- 5Create a new password — it must be at least 8 characters and include a number and an uppercase letter
- 6Sign in to your Apple devices with the new password when prompted
When to Call a Professional
Some password situations are beyond what self-service recovery can handle. Consider calling a professional when:
- You are locked out of Windows with no recovery options available and no Microsoft account linked
- You forgot the password to an encrypted external hard drive or USB drive — these often cannot be recovered without the original password
- You need to recover an old email account that has no recovery phone number or backup email on file
- You have been locked out of your Apple ID and the account recovery process is not working
- You are not comfortable navigating recovery screens and don't want to risk making things worse