I forgot my email or account password

Start from the official recovery page

Type the address into your browser yourself rather than clicking a link in an email or text. These are the official starting points:

• Google / Gmail account recovery
• Apple ID password reset (iforgot.apple.com)
• Microsoft account password reset

Tips that make recovery work

• Try from a device and place you normally use, such as your own phone or computer at home. Companies trust these more.
• Use the recovery email address or phone number you set up. If you don’t remember which they are, the recovery page often shows part of them (for example “j***@gmail.com”).
• Answer questions as best you can, even if you aren’t sure. Old passwords you remember are worth entering too.
• Be patient. Some companies make you wait a day or more for security reasons.

Once you’re back in

1. Choose a new password that you haven’t used anywhere else. A few random words strung together, like “purple-canyon-kettle-42”, is easy to remember and hard to guess.
2. Turn on two-step verification (also called two-factor), so a stolen password alone isn’t enough.
3. Update your recovery email and phone number so you can get back in next time.
4. Consider a password manager so you only have to remember one password.

Careful: Never tell anyone the six-digit code a company texts or emails you. It’s the key to your account, and a common scam is someone asking you to “confirm” it. Likewise, never share your password with anyone claiming to be from tech support.