Change your Hotmail password from your account settings

To change your Hotmail password, sign into your account at outlook.com, go to your account settings, and select "Change password" under the Security section. You will need to enter your current password once, then type your new password twice. Microsoft will confirm the change when ready, and you will stay signed in.

The whole process takes about two minutes. You do not need to sign out of other devices — Microsoft will ask you to sign back in on them the next time you use them, which is a safety feature that confirms the password change worked.

Key Takeaways

  • Go to outlook.com, sign in, and click your profile picture in the top right corner to reach account settings.
  • Your new password should be at least 8 characters long and include uppercase letters, lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols.
  • If you forget your current password, use the "Can't access your account" link on the sign-in page instead of the change password option.
  • Changing your password does not sign you out on phones or tablets — you will need to sign back in manually on each device.
  • If you use Hotmail for other services (banking, shopping, work email forwarding), those connections will keep working after you change your password.

Step-by-step: where to find the password change option

Open outlook.com in your web browser and sign in with your email address and current password. Once you are on your inbox, look for your profile picture or initials in the top right corner of the screen. Click on it to open a small menu.

From that menu, select "View account" or "Manage your Microsoft account" — the exact wording depends on your account type, but both lead to the same place. You will be taken to your account dashboard. On the left side, look for a section called "Security" or "Password & security". Click on "Change password" under that heading.

You will see a form with three fields: your current password, your new password, and a confirmation field where you type the new password again. Type carefully in all three fields, because the password fields hide what you type. If the two new passwords do not match exactly, Microsoft will ask you to try again.

What makes a strong password that you can actually remember

Microsoft requires passwords to be at least 8 characters long and to include at least three of these four types: uppercase letters (A–Z), lowercase letters (a–z), numbers (0–9), and symbols (!@#$%^&*). A password like "BlueSky2024!" meets all those rules and is reasonably strong.

The hardest part of changing your password is remembering the new one. Write it down on paper and store it somewhere physical and private — a notebook in a drawer, not a sticky note on your monitor. If you use a password manager (a program that stores passwords securely), add your new Hotmail password there instead. Password managers like Bitwarden, 1Password, or KeePass are free or low-cost and mean you only have to remember one master password.

Avoid passwords based on your name, birthdate, or common words. Avoid reusing a password you have used for another account. If that other account gets hacked, someone could try the same password on your Hotmail and get in.

What happens on your other devices after you change your password

When you change your Hotmail password on the web, you stay signed in on that computer or phone. On other devices where you are already signed in — your work laptop, your tablet, your phone — you will stay signed in for now. The next time you close the Hotmail app or your browser on one of those devices, or the next time you restart it, you will be asked to sign in again with your new password.

This delay is normal and intentional. It gives you time to write down your new password or add it to your password manager before you need it on another device. If you sign out manually on a device before that automatic sign-out happens, you will need your new password to sign back in right away.

If you use Hotmail on your phone through the Outlook app (not just through a web browser), open the app, go to Settings, and look for your account. You may see a prompt to sign in again, or you may need to remove the account and add it again. Either way, use your new password when prompted.

If you cannot remember your current password

If you have forgotten your current password and cannot sign in at all, you cannot use the "Change password" option. Instead, go to outlook.com and look for the link that says "Can't access your account?" or "Forgot my password?" below the sign-in fields. Click that link.

Microsoft will ask you to verify your identity. You can do this by entering a recovery email address (if you set one up), a recovery phone number, or by answering security questions you created when you set up your account. Once you verify who you are, Microsoft will let you create a new password without needing the old one.

If you do not have access to your recovery email or phone number, and you cannot remember your security questions, the recovery process takes longer. Microsoft may ask you to wait 24 hours or to provide additional proof of identity. This is a security measure to prevent someone else from taking over your account.

Why you should change your password regularly

Changing your password once a year, or whenever you think your account might have been compromised, reduces the window of time a stolen password can be used. You do not need to change it every month — that creates password fatigue and leads people to write down weak passwords or reuse old ones, which is less safe overall.

Change your password right away if you notice any of these signs: you receive an email from Microsoft saying someone tried to sign in from an unfamiliar location, you see charges on a credit card linked to your Hotmail account that you did not make, or you realize you used your Hotmail password on another website that was later hacked. If you think your account has been compromised, also turn on two-factor authentication (a second verification step when you sign in) to add an extra layer of protection.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will changing my password sign me out of Hotmail on my phone?

Not when ready. You will stay signed in on your phone until you close the Outlook app or restart your phone. The next time you open the app, you will be asked to sign in again with your new password. If you want to sign out right away, you can do that manually in the app settings.

What if I change my password and then forget the new one?

Use the "Can't access your account?" link on the outlook.com sign-in page. Verify your identity using a recovery email, phone number, or security questions, and Microsoft will let you create another new password. Keep your new password written down or in a password manager so this does not happen again.

Do I need to change my password if I use Hotmail for two-factor authentication on other websites?

No. Changing your Hotmail password does not affect your ability to receive two-factor codes on that email address. Those codes come from the other website or service, not from Hotmail itself. Your Hotmail password and your two-factor setup are separate.

Can I use the same new password on my other email accounts?

You can, but it is not recommended. If one of those accounts gets hacked, someone could use the same password to break into your Hotmail. Use a different password for each important account, especially email and banking. A password manager makes this easier by remembering all of them for you.

What if Microsoft says my new password is too weak?

Add more variety: use uppercase and lowercase letters, add numbers and symbols, or make it longer. "BlueSky2024!" is stronger than "bluesky2024" because it includes uppercase and a symbol. If Microsoft still rejects it, try a completely different password with all four types of characters mixed throughout.