Whether you’ve noticed suspicious activity in your email account or just want to improve your security, this guide shows you how to change your email password on some of the most popular services: Gmail, Outlook, and Proton Mail.
Your email is the master key to your online life. Anyone with access to it can reset the password on every other account tied to that address, such as your bank, social media, or shopping accounts. That’s why a leaked email password is far more dangerous than a leaked Netflix password, and why you should treat email security as the foundation everyone else sits on.
You should change your email password if:
- You’ve noticed suspicious sign-in activity, especially if no one else has access to your email account.
- A service you use has been involved in a data breach.
- You’ve been reusing the same password on multiple websites, which can expose you to credential stuffing attacks.
- You clicked a suspicious link or entered your email credentials on a website you later realized might be fake (phishing).
- Your account provider warned you that your password appeared in a known leak.
- You received password-reset emails or security alerts you did not request.
Changing your email password takes only a few minutes and can be done from your provider’s account settings, not from your mail app.
- How to change your email password on Gmail
- How to change your email password on Outlook, Hotmail, or Live
- How to change your email password on Proton Mail
- How to change email passwords on iPhone
- How to change email passwords on Android
- Tips for creating a strong email password
- Best practices for email password security
- What to do if you forgot your email password
- Keep your email accounts safe
How to change your email password on Gmail
To change your Gmail password, update it through your Google Account:
- Log in to your Google Account at myaccount.google.com(nouvelle fenêtre).
- Click Security and sign-in from the left menu.
- Under How you sign in to Google, click Password.
- Enter your current password to verify your identity.
- Type your New password, confirm it, and click Change Password.
Google will keep you signed in on the device you’re using. To sign out everywhere else, go to Security → Your devices and remove any sessions you don’t recognize.
How to change your email password on Outlook, Hotmail, or Live
If you use a Microsoft account for Outlook, Hotmail, or Live, you can change your password through the Microsoft security portal:
- Go to account.microsoft.com(nouvelle fenêtre) and Sign in.
- Open the Security accordion and click Change password.
- Enter your New password, then click Save.
To sign out of every other session, go to Security → Sign-in activity and click Sign out everywhere.
How to change your email password on Proton Mail
You can change your Proton Mail password directly in your account settings:
- Open Proton Mail and go to Settings → All settings.
- In the sidebar, click Account and password.
- Click Change password.
- Enter your Current password.
- Enter and confirm your New password, then click Save.
Proton Mail uses end-to-end encryption, so changing your password also re-encrypts your data. Make sure you have your recovery method set up before you change it. Without one, you can lose access to old encrypted messages.
How to change email passwords on iPhone
- Open Settings.
- Select your account.
- Go to Sign-In & Security.
- Tap Change Password.
- Authenticate with your current password or Face ID.
- Enter the new password and confirm it.
How to change email passwords on Android
If you’re using Gmail, you can change your password in your Google Account settings. The exact steps may vary slightly depending on your device.
- Open Settings.
- Tap Passwords, passkeys and accounts.
- Select your account.
- Tap Google Account.
- Go to the Security or Sign-in tab.
- Under How you sign in to Google, tap Password.
- Enter your new password and tap Change password.
Once you’ve updated your password, your device will usually ask you to sign in again. You may also see a message like “Account action required” if your email stops syncing. Enter your new password when prompted.
If you don’t see a prompt, remove the account and add it again:
- Open Settings.
- Tap Passwords, passkeys and accounts.
- Select the account you want to update.
- Tap Remove account.
- Add the account again and sign in using your new password.
Tips for creating a strong email password
A password should be hard for a stranger or a computer to guess, but easy for you to manage.
Make it long: Aim for at least 12 characters. Longer passwords are harder to crack.
Make it unique: Don’t reuse passwords across different accounts.
Avoid personal information: Don’t use names, birthdays, or common words.
Make it random or memorable: A random password is more secure than a predictable one.
A password generator makes all of this easier to manage.
Best practices for email password security
Changing your password is a great start, but security is about more than just a secret word or phrase. You can make your inbox a much more difficult target by using tools that do the heavy lifting for you:
Use a password manager: Proton Pass can safely create, store, and autofill your passwords across your devices. It has a built-in password generator to help you create unique passwords for all your accounts.
Enable two-factor authentication (2FA): This adds a second layer of security, such as a one-time code sent to your authenticator app, so a password alone isn’t enough to access your account. Proton Pass provides 2FA for every account that supports it, along with a Pass Monitor feature that alerts you to repeated passwords and inactive 2FA.
Review active sessions regularly: Check where your account is signed in and revoke access from devices or locations you don’t recognize. All Proton Accounts come with a free account monitor to help you track active sessions.
Keep recovery options up to date: Make sure your recovery email address and phone number are current, secure, and belong only to you.
Be careful with third-party app access: Remove connected apps, browser extensions, or email clients you no longer use or don’t recognize.
Watch for phishing: Always check the sender, domain, and URL before entering your login details. Avoid signing in from links in unexpected emails. Proton Mail has built-in phishing protection that keeps you safe from known offenders.
Keep your devices updated: Install security updates for your operating system, browser, email app, and password manager.
Use account alerts: Turn on notifications for new sign-ins, password changes, recovery changes, and suspicious activity. On Proton paid plans, you can enable Proton Sentinel to prevent account takeovers.
Secure your password manager account: Use a strong master password and enable 2FA for the password manager itself. You can use Proton Authenticator to enable 2FA for your Proton Account.
What to do if you forgot your email password
If you can’t log in, look for the Forgot password link. Most websites place this link directly under the sign-in box on their login page. Clicking it will usually let you verify your identity using a backup email address or phone number.
For Proton Mail, you may also need your recovery phrase or recovery file to regain access to your encrypted messages.
Keep your email accounts safe
A weak or exposed email password can quickly turn into a much bigger security problem. If you’ve received security alerts, reused passwords across websites, or suspect your account may have been exposed in a breach, you should change the affected passwords as soon as possible.
Changing your password is one of the fastest ways to reduce the risk of someone else accessing your information. Using a password manager like Proton Pass and an end-to-end encrypted email like Proton Mail can help you keep your inbox safe.
