How to Change Your Password in Microsoft Outlook

Outlook doesn’t set the password for your email account itself. Change your email password with your email provider, then enter the new password in Outlook when it asks. For an Outlook.com or Hotmail address, change it at account.microsoft.com under Security. For a work or school Microsoft 365 account, use myaccount.microsoft.com or ask IT.

This guide covers classic and new Outlook for Windows, Outlook for Mac, Outlook.com and Outlook on the web. It explains where to change each kind of password, how to update the password Outlook has saved, what to do if you forgot it, and how the separate Outlook data file password works. Steps come from Microsoft Support articles, checked in October 2026.

Why You Change the Password Outside Outlook

Microsoft’s Outlook password guide says that to change your email password, you must do it with your email provider, such as Microsoft 365, Gmail, Yahoo, iCloud, Xfinity or your company’s Exchange server. Outlook only stores a copy so it can sign in for you. After the change, you update that copy.

Microsoft suggests changing your password when you think someone else has gained access, when your provider sends you a reset link, or when you’ve forgotten it.

Change an Outlook.com, Hotmail or Live Password

Microsoft notes your Outlook.com password is the same as your Microsoft account password. From its Change your Microsoft account password article:

1. Go to account.microsoft.com and sign in. Result: your Microsoft account dashboard opens.
2. Select Security, then the Change password link at the top of the page. Result: you may be asked to verify your identity with a code.
3. Enter your current password if asked, then your new password. Result: the new password is entered.
4. Select Save. Result: your password is changed for Outlook.com and every other Microsoft service that uses that account.

There’s an optional checkbox that reminds you to change your password every 72 days. Microsoft also offers two-step verification and passwordless sign-in for more security. Because this is your Microsoft account, the change can also affect signing in to Windows if you use the same account there; see how to change your password on Windows 11.

Change a Work or School Microsoft 365 Password

Microsoft’s work or school password article gives these steps for a password you still know:

1. Sign in to myaccount.microsoft.com with your work or school account. Result: the My Account portal opens.
2. Select Change Password on the left. Result: the Change password page opens.
3. Type your old password, then create and confirm the new one. Result: the form is filled in.
4. Select Submit. Result: your password changes and you’re asked to sign in again.

Your organization controls these accounts, so its rules (or IT team) may require a different process. If your company runs its own Exchange Server with Outlook Web App, Microsoft says to sign in to Outlook Web App and select Settings > Change password, as described in its Outlook Web App article.

Change a Gmail, Yahoo, iCloud or Other Password

For accounts from other providers, change the password on that provider’s website. Microsoft’s guide links to the help pages for Google, Yahoo, Apple and Xfinity. For example, a Gmail password is changed in your Google Account, and an iCloud Mail password is your Apple Account password. If you use one of these accounts on an iPhone too, see how to update your email password on iPhone.

Update the Password Saved in Outlook

Outlook for Windows (classic and new)

Microsoft says that after you change your password with your provider, Outlook asks you for the updated password the next time you open it. Enter the new password in that prompt. If Outlook was already open, close and reopen it to trigger the prompt.

If the prompt doesn’t appear or the account keeps failing, remove the account and add it back. In new Outlook, account settings are under Settings > Accounts. In classic Outlook, use File > Account Settings > Account Settings.

Outlook for Mac

Microsoft’s Outlook for Mac password article says you can’t change the password directly in Outlook for Mac, but you can sync the new one:

1. On the Tools tab, select Accounts. Result: the Accounts window opens.
2. Select the account in the list. Result: its details show on the right.
3. Select the small icon next to the account name. Microsoft says it appears when the password has changed but hasn’t synced. Result: a sign-in window appears.
4. Enter your username and new password. Result: Outlook syncs with the new password.

Outlook on phones and the web

Outlook.com and Outlook on the web use your account sign-in directly, so after a change you just sign in again. In the Outlook mobile app, sign in again with the new password if the app reports a sign-in problem.

If You Forgot Your Password

• Outlook.com or other Microsoft account: use Microsoft’s Reset your Microsoft account password page instead of the change steps. Microsoft notes its support agents can’t send reset links or change account details for you.
• Work or school: Microsoft points to passwordreset.microsoftonline.com, which uses the security info your organization set up.
• Other providers: use the “forgot password” link on the provider’s sign-in page.

Set or Change an Outlook Data File (.pst) Password

This is a different password. It protects a .pst file on your PC, not your email account. Microsoft’s .pst password article gives these steps for classic Outlook for Windows:

1. Select File > Account Settings > Account Settings. Result: the Account Settings window opens.
2. On the Data Files tab, select the .pst file, then select Settings. Result: the file’s settings open.
3. Select Change Password, enter the old password (leave it blank if there isn’t one), then the new one twice. Result: the file is protected.

Microsoft warns there’s no way to recover a forgotten .pst password. You also can’t set one on an .ost file, which Microsoft 365, Exchange, Outlook.com and many IMAP accounts use, so the Change Password button won’t appear for those.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does Outlook keep asking for my password?

The saved password is wrong or expired. Enter the new one, and check whether your provider requires an app password because two-step verification is on.

Is this the same as my Windows password?

Only if you sign in to Windows with the same Microsoft account. See how to sign in to Microsoft Outlook to check which account you use.

What’s an app password?

Some providers with two-step verification need a special app password for email apps that can’t use their normal sign-in. You create one in your provider’s security settings.

Can I see which devices are using my Outlook.com account?

Yes. After changing your password, you can also remove a device that’s syncing with Outlook.com. Need a new account instead? See how to create an Outlook email account.

Once you’re signed in again, you can keep your inbox tidy with rules. Here’s how to create an email filter (rule) in Outlook.