How to reset or change an email account password

A mailbox password is separate from your client area password and your control panel password. Changing one doesn't change the others.

There are two ways to change it: from the control panel (works for every mailbox on the account), or from webmail (works for your own mailbox only, if you know the current password).

From cPanel

1. Log in to cPanel. See How to log in to cPanel or DirectAdmin.
2. Go to Email → Email Accounts.
3. Click Manage next to the address.
4. Under Security, type a new password in New Password, or click Generate for a strong one. Copy it somewhere safe before you leave the page.
5. Click Update Email Settings.

From DirectAdmin

1. Log in to DirectAdmin.
2. Go to E-mail Manager → E-mail Accounts.
3. Find the address, open its menu (the button at the end of the row) and choose Change Password.
4. Type a new password, or use the generator.
5. Save.

From webmail (your own mailbox)

You need the current password.

1. Log in at https://yourdomain/webmail with the email address and current password.
2. cPanel servers: click your address in the top-right corner and choose Password & Security. Enter the new password and save.
3. DirectAdmin servers: if webmail (Roundcube) shows Settings → Password, change it there. Otherwise use the control panel.

If you don't know the current password, ask whoever manages the hosting account to reset it from the control panel.

Choosing a password

• At least 12 characters. Mix letters, numbers and symbols, or use three or four unrelated words.
• Don't reuse a password from another site.
• The generator in the control panel is the easiest safe choice.

After changing it: update every device

This is the step people miss. Every phone, tablet, laptop and email program that uses the mailbox now has the wrong password. Each one will keep trying the old one, and after enough failures the server blocks your connection's IP address, taking down webmail, your website and the control panel for everyone on that connection.

Update the password on:

• Every phone and tablet, including old ones still switched on.
• Every computer, in every email program.
• Printers or scanners that email documents.
• Any website, form or app that sends email through this mailbox using SMTP (for example a WordPress SMTP plugin).

Do this straight after changing the password. If devices start asking for the password repeatedly, see Outlook keeps asking for my password. If everything stops loading from your connection, see My website works for others but not for me.

The new password doesn't work

1. Test it in webmail first. If webmail accepts it, the password is right and the device's settings are wrong. See Email server settings: IMAP, POP3 and SMTP.
2. Check for a space copied at the start or end of the password.
3. Check the username is the full email address, not just the part before the @.
4. If webmail rejects it too, change it again from the control panel and retype it carefully.