Summary: I'm asked daily to reset lost passwords, recover hacked email accounts or retrieve lost information in them. Here's my answer.
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No.
There is nothing I can do. I have no way to help you.
Here is what you can do...
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Somehow for whatever reason you've forgotten the password, the answer to your secret question and never set up, or no longer have access to the alternate email address associated with the account. Or your account has been hacked and your password, secret answer and alternate email address have all been changed.
I cannot help you.
Contact your email service provider and tell them what it happening. They should have some way of identifying you, after which they should be able to reset your password. This is typically the approach for pay services - they may verify your identity with your credit card number or some other piece of information they collected at the time you signed up.
Unfortunately, this almost never works for free accounts. Why? Because these accounts are free, there's almost no customer support. You get what you pay for.
Let me be even clearer about that:
If:
You're using a free email service such as HotMail, Yahoo, and others
... and you forgot or lost your password
... and you forgot or lost the answer to your secret question
... and you did not set up an alternate email address, or you lost access to the alternate email address
... and customer service is not responding to you
You are out of luck.
I know of no way to recover your account. I cannot help you.
You absolutely can and should try contacting customer service for the email service you are using - they are the only ones who could help you. But my experience is that they rarely do.
Learn from your mistake.
If you lose access to your account and cannot recover it, you'll want to set up a new account. Learn from this.
Choose good passwords that you will remember. It's tough, given the number of accounts and passwords we all need to remember, but the fact is choosing a hard-to-guess password, and changing it regularly are important steps you can take to avoid someone stealing your account.
Don't share your password with anyone. A number of the account hacks I hear about are the result of trusting someone you shouldn't have.
Remember your secret answer. I'm kind of surprised I even have to say this, but when you create an account that asks you for a secret question and answer, don't treat it lightly. It doesn't have to be true ... just make sure it's something you'll remember in a year or two or ten when (not if) you have a problem.
Set up an alternate email address. This is where password reminders would get emailed to. And remember that if you lose access to your alternate email address, you need to change it in any accounts that reference it.
Don't use "remember me" when logging in. At least, don't use it unless you're positive it's safe. If someone else walks up to the computer (be it in an internet cafe, or in your bedroom or office) and "remember me" is selected ... they can now login as you without knowing your password. And then they can change your password and everything else, locking you out of your own account.
And, perhaps most important of all:
Don't use free email accounts for anything important. It's just not worth it. If your free email account, and all the information in it went away tomorrow would that be a problem for you? If so ... move. Now.
And, I'm sorry to have to say it again, but based on the number of questions I keep getting, I have to:
I cannot recover your password or your account. I cannot email you your password.
Related Links:
Ask Leo! - Are free email services worth it? (Hint: no.)
Ask Leo! - I've lost my Hotmail password, can you help get it back?
Ask Leo! - Someone has stolen my email account. What can I do to get it back?
Ask Leo! - How do I change my MSN Hotmail password if I forgot it?
Ask Leo! - I've forgotten the answer to my MSN Hotmail secret question, *and* my password, what do I do?
Article C2724 - July 15, 2006
I'm not going to take comments on this article. Past experience shows that the majority of comments would simply be - you guessed it - requests for me to recover passwords.
Posted by: Leo Notenboom at July 15, 2006 3:04 PMi never forget my password to anywhere. in a pigs eye. lol thats why i use the same one for everywhere. if they say i cant do it just with letters i just put a 1 after it. that way if i get a not a good pass i just remember, oh yeah, and put the 1 in. works for me. lol
Posted by: udrtrat at July 21, 2009 2:18 PMUsing the same passwords works most of the time but, there's a big risk involved in that. If someone is able to guess that out you've ruined your life. You've just given him access to everything :) Stay Safe use different passwords.
Posted by: Waqar at July 21, 2009 9:51 PMMany of us have 2 computers. My alternate is an IBM Thinkpad with Win98 on it. Perfectly capable of building and accessing DOS (remember DOS?) files for general record-keeping... such as login names, passwords, URL instructions, etc. There is no need for modems or internet connections because it's so slow I'd grow moss on my north side waiting for a connection.
My laptop sits off to one side on my desk next to the keyboard and screen for my primary computer. Any time I run across a need for a new password, login name, or anything else I need for today, won't need for tomorrow, but might need months down the pike, it goes on the laptop. It gives me all the advantages of a computer search without the danger of putting sensitive information online for thieves' prying eyes.
Posted by: chuck at July 21, 2009 10:16 PMI can generally guess, I use a master word that I can remember, with, should it require it, some numbers after it. If I know when I set up the account, I can know approximately which word I was using at the time. I also don't have anything important on a password-accessed service.
Posted by: JH at July 28, 2009 1:59 PMThe answers for forgotten password, secret question and alternative email address are very negative: can't anyone give a positive answer - surely there must be a way to recover ones account? Here's hoping...
Posted by: rete at August 21, 2009 1:44 PMhi, i put wrong password into facebook, and have been knocked back, new password sent to old and inactive email account....how do i regain access?? help me please !!!!
Posted by: lynsey at October 21, 2009 11:42 AMJust curious if Yahoo's account client stores password info on my computer in its cookies somewhere. I thought that "remember me on this computer" should do this. Same situation as above, maybe hacked, maybe I'm stupid.
Posted by: ERandall at October 27, 2009 3:47 PMmy name is Saad and im frm lhr pak.. my yahoo ID is gotta hacked frm 2 weeks, which ID im using frm 5 years.. so may i do now? plz recover my id if u can and tel me.. my contact number is 0323-4680007.. thanx
Posted by: Saad at November 7, 2009 1:42 PM