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How do I change my Windows Live Hotmail password?

Question:

I can’t figure out how to change my password since they changed MSN Hotmail to that new Windows Live Hotmail. How do I change my password now?

This remains an extremely common question.

Let’s walk through, step by step.

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First login to your Windows Live Hotmail account, and then click the Options link in the upper right:

Windows Live Hotmail options link

And then at the bottom of the resulting list, click on More options…:

Windows Live Hotmail More Options link

On the resulting page, click on View and edit your personal information:

Windows Live Hotmail more options highlighting View and edit your personal information link

At this point you may be prompted to re-enter your password. This is a security measure to prevent just anyone from walking up to your computer and changing your information.

There’s something interesting to note about the screen that you land on:

Windows Live Account setting page header

“When you change your password for Windows Live Hotmail, you’re also changing it for all your Windows Live based services.”

Note that it stopped talking about Hotmail. This is your Windows Live account.

Why does that matter?

Because your Windows Live account is used for all Windows Live services including Hotmail, Messenger Spaces and more. When you change your password for Windows Live Hotmail, you’re also changing it for all your Windows Live based services.

Near the center of that page you’ll see a section labeled Password reset information:

Password reset information in the Windows Live account setting page

Click on Change on the Password: line and you’ll get this box:

Windows Live Change Password dialog

Naturally you must type in your old password in order to prove that you are who you say you are and are authorized to make changes.

As you type your new password the new Password Strength indicator will show you just how strong your password is. Having a strong password that’s difficult to guess is incredibly important to the security of your account. Make sure you always have a strong password.

As an additional security measure you can instruct Windows Live to automatically require you to change your password every so often. While this can be seen as annoying, it’s actually another layer of security to protect your account from theft.

Click on Save and you’re done.

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17 comments on “How do I change my Windows Live Hotmail password?”

  1. Regarding the eternal “loading” message: It just occurred to me to try using a different browser. I was able to change my hotmail password by logging in using Mozilla Firefox v.1.07. Previously I was attempting using Internet Explorer 6.0.

    Reply
  2. For people having problems changing passwords and so on. I agree with one of the comments posted previously, about using a different browser. I would also like to recommend clearing out your browsers ‘Temporary Files’. In IE, click on ‘Tools’, the ‘options’, and usually the first thing you see is the option to ‘Delete files’. In the past I’ve had people coming to me with problems about IE and MSN and clearing out these files sometimes helps.

    Reply
  3. I tried to change my password on hotmail couldnt’ so I relogon on to hotmail, its been 6 days now without sucess…yesterday msn support.com set up the web site where I reset my new password, I did that, I also Retype my new password press continue.. I get a response sayin New password and Secret answer is not similar… Nowhere did it say Secret answer.. to bad I couldn’t cut and paste as I went type password…
    now msn support com won’t help me out saying too many errors….

    Reply
  4. ok guys 4 those who have problem in loading the account summary page here is the solution just open the windows live account summary in (mozilla firefox)this is abrowser like internet explorer nd u can download the mozilla firefox by search in google nd it is free.
    i don know why this bloody explorer can`t open the account summary page but any way no problems just use the mozilla firefox that is it.
    have fun

    Reply
  5. I thank you Ahmed. I was trying IE to change my passowrd for so many days. Its just loading …loading…..but never opens. And, as you recommended I used firefox…what to say….it just opened. I just want to thank you.
    Best regards,
    sa_me.

    Reply
  6. thank you sooo much for telling me how to change my password! i kept on getting logged off because i was signing in on another computer. now i know that wont happen!
    thanks!

    Reply
  7. Just one question:

    Before I go ahead and change my password so I can
    access both my live account and my Hotmail account I just want to know once I create a new
    password will I still be able to see all my emails that are in both accounts or will they be gone and deleted as well?
    I would appreciate if you could reply to me on this matter before I make any changes.

    Changing only your password should not affect anything but your password.

    – Leo
    01-Apr-2009
    Reply
  8. Thank you, Leo. Excellent advice and much needed on my part. It amazes me that the Windows people still continue to make the procedure for getting to the “change password” page so incredibly obtuse. We are not all “geeks”, and the fact that we have to search the Internet to find advice from experts like yourself should surely be enough to make the Powers That Be within MS realize that changes are needed. It would be a relatively simple matter for them to have a tag on the main email page labeled “change password” that would take the user directly to the required screen. Seeing as how security should be priority #1, we have to wonder at their motivations, or at least their apparent lack of perception.

    Best regards,

    Mike

    Reply
  9. As my acount loads up, I can see ‘options’ but when the page finishes loading, this is covered/plastered over by that annoying Bing search. tried to review the page as source and ‘options’ is till missing. This happens in bothe IE and Firefox.

    Reply
  10. ONE FURTHER STEP is necessary. Follow all the steps that Leo has outlined. Below “Password Reset”, you will see the heading “Other Options”. Click on “Windows Live options”, and you will find “Account” and then “Password” which is where you go to change the password.

    Tip: a good, secure password can be achieved by using an old address, say from your childhood. It’s got numbers and uppercase and it’s meaningful enough to be easily remembered.

    Reply
  11. Thank you! This website was extremely useful and pointed out just how retarded MSN Hotmail is to have such important aspects of account management buried under layers of essentially unrelated options. Ugh! The location isn’t intuitive.
    Again, many thanks.
    Joe

    Reply
  12. I did try to change my password on Hotmail account, but it gives me an error: Wrong password where the original password is required. That’s teh only password I have, I do know it is correct. How come it says it is wrong? What should/can I do?

    —- Andy

    If Hotmail says the password you type in is wrong (and you’re certain you don’t have capslock on or spyware on your machine or anything like that) then the password you type in is wrong. Either you’ve missremembered it, or your account has been hacked and someone else changed it. What are my Lost Hotmail Account and Password Recovery Options?

    Leo
    11-May-2011

    Reply
  13. Thanks for your post, I followed all the instructions you gave and was able to change my password. Hopefully no more hackers will get into my computer.

    Reply
  14. @Caroline
    Try going to Options > More Options, and then reading the list there under “Managing Your Account.” You’ll find everything you need to change your password there.

    Reply

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