Changing your password in Outlook, Thunderbird, K-9 Mail and Apple Mail

Did you receive a new password or change the password of your mailbox? Then you also need to update it in the mail programs where you use the email address.

Before you start

This guide is about updating the stored password of an existing email account. You change the password of the mailbox itself first, through your hosting provider, the control panel or your email administrator. Simply entering a different password in your mail program does not change the mailbox password.

Keep your full email address and the new password at hand. Menu names may differ slightly between versions.

1. Outlook for Windows — classic version

1. Open Outlook.
2. Click File in the top left.
3. Under Account Information, select the correct email address.
4. Click Account Settings and then Server Settings.
5. Open Incoming mail and enter the new password.
6. Also check Outgoing mail. If there is a separate password there, change it as well. If Outlook uses the same sign-in details as for incoming mail, leave that option enabled.
7. Click Next and then Done.

Leave the existing server names, ports and security settings unchanged.

2. New Outlook for Windows

1. Close Outlook and open it again.
2. As soon as Outlook asks for the new password, enter it.
3. Do you see a message that you need to sign in again or that your account needs attention? Open that message and follow the sign-in steps.
4. Save the sign-in if Outlook offers this option.

According to Microsoft, after a password change at the provider Outlook asks for the updated sign-in details. If that prompt does not appear and synchronization keeps failing, contact your email administrator.

3. Thunderbird on your computer

1. Open Thunderbird.
2. Click the menu with the three lines in the top right and choose Settings.
3. Search for passwords in the search field.
4. Click Saved Passwords.
5. Find the entries that belong to your email address. Usually there are separate entries for receiving (IMAP or POP) and sending (SMTP).
6. Right-click the relevant entry and choose Edit Password.
7. Enter the new password and confirm.
8. Repeat this for the other entry of the same email account.
9. Close Thunderbird and open it again.

Can’t edit the password? Then only delete the relevant saved password entries. Thunderbird will ask for the password again when retrieving and sending mail. Choose to remember the new password. This does not delete any email messages.

4. K-9 Mail on Android

In K-9 Mail you change the password in two places.

1. Open K-9 Mail and go to Settings.
2. Select the correct email account.
3. Go to Fetching mail → Incoming server.
4. Enter the new password in the Password field and confirm with Next or Done.
5. Go back to the settings of the same account.
6. Open Sending mail → Outgoing server.
7. Enter the new password there as well and confirm.

5. Apple Mail on Mac

For an existing IMAP or POP account, such as a mailbox at your hosting provider:

1. Open Mail.
2. Click Mail → Settings at the top.
3. Open the Accounts tab and select the correct email address.
4. Click Server Settings.
5. Enter the new password for the Incoming Mail Server.
6. Also enter the new password for the Outgoing Mail Server (SMTP), if there is a separate password field there.
7. Click Save.

Leave the server names, ports and security settings unchanged.

Don’t see a password field? Close Mail and go to the Apple menu → System Settings → Internet Accounts. Select your email account and click Details if needed. Update the password if this field is available. If a request to sign in again appears, follow those sign-in steps. Then open Mail again.

6. Apple Mail on iPhone and iPad

For a manually configured IMAP or POP account:

1. Open Settings.
2. Go to Apps → Mail → Mail Accounts. On older versions you’ll find this under Settings → Mail → Accounts.
3. Select the correct email account.
4. Tap Account or Account Settings, depending on your version.
5. Under Incoming Mail Server, replace the stored password with the new password.
6. Go to SMTP under Outgoing Mail Server.
7. Tap the server under Primary Server.
8. Enter the new password there as well.
9. Tap Done and confirm any other changes.

Do you see a sign-in screen instead of a password field? Then follow the steps to sign in again with your email provider. The available settings differ per account type.

Check afterwards

Send a test message to another email address and send a reply back from that address. This way you check both sending and receiving.

Not working? Then check for typos, capital letters and accidental spaces. Also test the new password in webmail. Don’t forget to update the password on your other computers, phones and tablets.