You change your email password through the email provider's website or app, not through iPhone settings

Your iPhone stores your email account but does not control your email password. When you change your password, you are changing it with the company that runs your email — Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo, or whoever issued your address. Your iPhone will ask for the new password the next time it tries to check mail, usually within a few minutes.

The steps differ slightly depending on which email provider you use, but the principle is the same: log into your email account on a web browser or through the provider's app, find the password or security settings, and create a new one. Then return to your iPhone and update the password in Mail settings so your phone can keep checking for new messages.

Key Takeaways

  • Email passwords are managed by your email provider (Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo), not by Apple or your iPhone.
  • You must change your password through the provider's website or app, then update it on your iPhone afterward.
  • Your iPhone will prompt you to enter the new password the next time Mail tries to sync, or you can update it manually in Settings.
  • If you forget your email password, you will need to recover it through your email provider's account recovery process before you can update your iPhone.
  • Changing your email password on iPhone does not automatically sign you out of other apps or devices — you may need to update the password in each one separately.

Change your Gmail password on iPhone

Open a web browser on your iPhone or any device and go to myaccount.google.com. Tap the profile icon in the top right corner, then select "Manage your Google Account." Tap the "Security" tab at the top. Scroll down to "How you sign in to Google" and tap "Password." You may be asked to sign in again. Enter your current password, then type your new password twice to confirm it. Google will show you a list of devices where you are signed in — you can review this to see where your account is active.

After you change your Gmail password, your iPhone Mail app will stop syncing within a few minutes. Open the Mail app, tap "Mailboxes" at the bottom left, then tap "Accounts" at the top left. Find your Gmail account and tap "Edit" in the top right corner. Tap your Gmail account name at the top of the list. Scroll down to "Password" and enter your new password. Tap "Save" in the top right. Mail will reconnect within seconds.

Change your Outlook or Microsoft password on iPhone

Go to account.microsoft.com in a web browser. Sign in with your email address and current password. Click "Security" on the left side. Under "Password and security info," click "Change password." Enter your current password, then type your new password twice. Click "Next" and then "Finish."

On your iPhone, open Settings and scroll down to "Mail." Tap "Accounts," then find your Outlook account and tap it. Tap "Account" at the top. Scroll down to "Password" and enter your new password. Tap "Save" in the top right. Your phone will reconnect to Outlook within moments.

Change your Yahoo password on iPhone

Open a web browser and go to login.yahoo.com. Sign in with your email and current password. Click your profile icon in the top right corner and select "Account info." Click "Security" on the left side. Under "Change your password," click "Change password." Enter your current password, then create and confirm your new password. Click "Finish password change."

Return to your iPhone. Open Settings, scroll to "Mail," and tap "Accounts." Find your Yahoo account and tap it. Tap "Account" at the top. Scroll to "Password" and enter your new password. Tap "Save." Your iPhone will sync with Yahoo's servers within a few minutes.

What happens if your iPhone keeps asking for your password

If Mail keeps showing a password error even after you entered the correct new password, your iPhone may not have received the update yet. Wait five minutes and try again. If the error persists, try signing out of the account entirely and signing back in with the new password.

Open Settings, tap "Mail," then "Accounts." Tap your email account, then tap "Delete Account" at the bottom. Confirm the deletion. Go back to "Accounts" and tap "Add Account." Select your email provider, enter your full email address and new password, and tap "Next." Your iPhone will verify the password and reconnect to your email.

Update your password in other apps that use your email

Many apps — Slack, Dropbox, banking apps, social media — let you sign in with your email address. If you changed your email password, these apps will not automatically know about it. You may need to sign out and sign back in with your new password in each app where you use that email address.

Check any app where you log in with your email. Look for "Settings" or "Account" and find the sign-out or "Change password" option. Sign out, then sign back in with your new email password. This is especially important for apps that handle money or sensitive information.

Recover your email password if you forgot it

If you cannot remember your current email password, you cannot change it to a new one through the normal process. Instead, you will need to recover your account through your email provider's account recovery page.

For Gmail, go to accounts.google.com/signin/recovery. For Outlook, go to account.live.com/password/reset. For Yahoo, go to login.yahoo.com and click "Trouble signing in?" Each provider will ask you to verify your identity — usually by entering a recovery email address, answering security questions, or confirming a code sent to your phone. Once you verify, you can set a new password. Then follow the steps above to update it on your iPhone.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will changing my email password sign me out of my iPhone?

No. Changing your email password does not sign you out of your iPhone or erase any data. Your phone will straightforward ask for the new password the next time Mail tries to check for messages. You stay signed into everything else on your iPhone normally.

Do I need to change my password on every device I use?

You only change the password once, with your email provider. But you do need to update the password on each device or app that checks your email. Your Mac, iPad, Android phone, and any email app will each need the new password entered separately.

What if I use a third-party email app instead of Apple Mail?

The same principle applies. Open the app's settings, find your email account, and update the password there. The exact steps depend on which app you use — Spark, Gmail app, Outlook app — but they all have an account settings section where you can change the stored password.

Can I change my email password without a recovery email or phone number?

It depends on your email provider and how much recovery information you set up. Gmail and Outlook let you recover your account through security questions or a recovery email if you have one set. If you have no recovery method on file, you may not be able to regain access. This is why setting up a recovery email and phone number now is worth doing.

How often should I change my email password?

There is no single rule. Change it if you suspect someone has access to your account, if you used the same password on multiple sites and one of those sites was breached, or if you have not changed it in over a year. If your email is tied to banking or other sensitive accounts, changing it every six months adds an extra layer of security.