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How do I get a password reset or reminder sent to my alternate email if I can't login to it?

Question:

I’m unable to login to my Hotmail account, so I wanted to try the option of
sending a password reset via email. But how can I receive that reset password
link if the whole problem is that I can’t login and get my email because I
don’t have the password?

A classic chicken and egg problem. You need your password to receive the
reset, but you need the reset in order to get your password.

I see this happen also when people specify bogus “alternate email”
addresses, or don’t specify one at all.

In a nutshell, you’re SOL – severely out of luck.

The best we can do is prevent this situation from coming up again in the
future.

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The whole idea behind an email password reset or reminder is that the
email should go do a different account
. That’s why it’s called an
alternate email address. Obviously if you can’t login to get the
reminder, the reminder is useless.

So when you set up your account, be it Hotmail, Yahoo, or whatever – simply
make sure that you specify an alternate email address:

  • that is valid

  • that you have access to

  • that you will continue to have access to … you won’t let it expire and you
    won’t lose the password

“The whole idea behind an email password reset or
reminder is that the email should go do a different account.”

That way, when you need a password reminder or reset for one email account,
it gets sent to the other.

This doesn’t need to cost anything at all. If you’re using a free email
account, then set up another, and have them be each other’s “alternate” email
address.

In fact, I actually recommend that you use different services. For example,
when creating a Hotmail account, also create a Yahoo account. Then have the
Hotmail email address be the alternate address for the Yahoo account, and have
the Yahoo email address be the alternate email address for the Hotmail
account.

Lose or forget one, and you’ll be able to pick it up at the other.

Based on the questions I get, this one simple step would save a lot of
people a lot of grief and anguish.


Important: Even though it’s called out in the notes with the
comment form below, people still insist on asking, so to be clear: I cannot
recover your account or password.
Requests to do so will be deleted.

Do this

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20 comments on “How do I get a password reset or reminder sent to my alternate email if I can't login to it?”

  1. i can not get in at all now why is that i have not had this happen to me befor and now it is starting why is that i can not get in it at all so what do i do now?

    Reply
  2. Hello,

    I’am trying to reset my password for the hotmail; but I’am having some problems. There is no place for me to provide them with my other e-mail. What do I do now?

    Reply
  3. Hello, I forgot my password for my MSN Live Messenger, What can i do about this, I removed the MSN messenger from my computer and downloaded it again but I still need my same password. Can You help??

    Reply
  4. I recovered my forgotten password on my gmail account even though I had deleted the original alternate email address. Google will allow one to have a request sent to any new alternate address one hsa created. Now I cannot remember the process but it is there hidden away. One just has to keep trying.

    Reply
  5. My laptop recently is not typing the b, m, and n keys and I need to reset my password with letters that do not contasin these..how do I do this? thanks. Im at my neighbors home now trying to access and reset the password. I also have another account l_digiovanni@msn.com thanks

    Reply
  6. Im having a problem with my friendster account, i forgot my password.now im asking them to send my password thru email, but the problem is i used my alternate email address..how can i retreive my password? because my default & alternate email address have same password.or is it possible if i could change the default address to alternate address that im using? please do help me.thanks

    Reply
  7. I put my hotmail account as my alternate e-mail for yahoo and it doesnt recieve the reminder message. The yahoo e-mail was very important and is where all my personal and work e-mails are sent. Has this happened to anyone else or is it just my luck?

    Reply
  8. I fortgot my hotmail password so I set up a new live account but there has not been any response for a new password. It is critical that I retrieve this information. Can you help me? Thanks!

    Reply

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