How to Change Email Password on Your iPhone

Changing your email account password regularly is vital for online security, but the process can be confusing with the various ways to access mail on the iPhone.

This tutorial will show you how to update your email password, whether using iCloud Mail, a third-party email client like Gmail or Outlook, or the built-in Mail app. The instructions below should also be helpful if you’re on an iPad or iPod touch.

Change Email Password for iCloud Mail

To change the password for iCloud Mail on your iPhone or iPad, you need to update the password for your Apple ID or iCloud account, as they use the same credentials. Here’s how:

1. Open the Settings app via the Home Screen or App Library.
2. Tap Apple ID at the top of the screen.
3. Tap the option labeled Sign In & Security.
4. Tap Change Password and enter the device passcode as authentication.
5. Fill in the New and Verify fields.
6. Tap Change.

Note: Any other Apple devices you own will automatically prompt you to enter your Apple ID or iCloud account password. If you encounter issues, contact Apple Support.

Change Gmail Password on iPhone

If you get your mail through Gmail and have the Gmail app on your iPhone, you can quickly change the email account password from within the app. Just:

1. Open Gmail and tap the Menu icon (three horizontal lines) in the top left corner.
2. Scroll down and select Settings.
3. Under Accounts, tap the Gmail account to which you wish to change the password and select Your info, privacy and security.

4. Switch to the Personal info tab, scroll down to the Other info and preferences for Google services section, and select Password.
5. Enter your current Google password as verification and tap Next.
6. Enter the new password into the New password and Confirm new password fields.
7. Tap Change password.

Gmail shares its password with other Google services, so you can also use other apps by Google to update the password. For example, in the Google app for iOS, tap your profile portrait on the top right of the screen, select Manage your Google Account, and follow steps 4–6 above.

Change Email Password in Outlook

The Outlook app on your iPhone doesn’t offer a direct way to change your email account password. Instead, you must update the password through a web browser, then reset the email account in Outlook and set it up with the new password. Here’s how:

1. Open Safari or any other web browser on your iPhone and visit the Microsoft Account web portal.
2. Tap Sign in and log in with your Microsoft account credentials.
3. Tap Change password under your Microsoft account name.
4. Fill in the Current password, New password, and Reenter password fields, then tap Save.

5. Open the Outlook app.
6. Tap your profile picture in the top left corner and select the Gear icon.
7. Tap your Microsoft account under Mail Accounts.
8. Scroll down and select Reset Account.
9. Tap OK—the Outlook app should reset your account and shut itself down.

10. Relaunch the Outlook app and enter the new Microsoft account password when prompted.

Change Email Password in Other Apps

If you’re using an email client other than Gmail or Outlook, like Yahoo Mail, you’ll likely find an option to change your mail account password within its settings.

However, if the option isn’t available, you can always change your password by logging into your email provider’s web app through a browser. A quick way to do this on an iPhone is by using the Passwords Manager in Settings. Here’s how:

1. Open the Settings app and tap Passwords.
2. Locate your email account within the list and tap it.
3. Select the Change Password on Website option to load the password management portal for the email account.

4. Follow the on-screen instructions to change passwords and save the updated account information to the Passwords Manager.
5. Open the email client in question and update or autofill the password when prompted.

Apply Password Changes for Accounts in Apple Mail

If you’re using the default Mail app on your iPhone to send and receive messages from third-party email providers, there are several ways to update the password after you’ve changed it elsewhere.

Wait For a Password Update Prompt

Open the Mail app, perform a swipe-down gesture in the Mailboxes view, and wait for a prompt to update the password.

Remove and Re-add Account via iOS Settings

If you do not receive a prompt to update the password in Mail, you must remove and re-add the email account via Settings. Here’s how:

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Navigate to Mail > Accounts.
3. Select the account with the outdated password.
4. Choose Delete Account.

5. Return to Accounts, select Add Account, and follow the prompts to re-add your email account with the updated password.

Enter the Password in Settings (iOS 16 and Earlier Only)

If your iPhone runs iOS 16 or earlier, you can add the new password to the Mail Accounts management screen in Settings.

1. Go to Settings > Passwords & Account > Email > Accounts.
2. Select the email account—e.g., Google.
3. Enter the new password into the Password field and tap Done.

Change Your Email Password Regularly

As you just learned, there’s nothing complicated about changing the password to an email account on the iPhone. If you use iCloud Mail, you can easily update passwords via Settings. Third-party email services involve some work, although things should still be straightforward. Just make sure to always create strong passwords.