How to Change Your Password in Outlook (All Versions & Account Types)

Changing your password in Outlook sounds straightforward — but the process varies significantly depending on which version of Outlook you're using, what type of email account you have, and whether you're on desktop, mobile, or the web. Understanding the distinction between changing your Outlook password and updating saved credentials in the app is the first step to getting this right.

The Key Distinction: Microsoft Account vs. Third-Party Email Account

Before touching any settings, identify what kind of account is connected to your Outlook.

Microsoft accounts (Outlook.com, Hotmail, Live, or a Microsoft 365 work/school account) store your password on Microsoft's servers. You don't change the password inside the Outlook app — you change it through your Microsoft account settings online, and then Outlook syncs the change automatically or prompts you to re-enter credentials.

Third-party accounts (Gmail, Yahoo, iCloud, or a custom domain via IMAP/POP3) have passwords managed entirely by those providers. Outlook just stores a copy of your credentials locally. If you change your Gmail password, for example, you'll need to update it inside Outlook separately.

This distinction drives nearly everything about the process.

How to Change a Microsoft Account Password 🔐

If your Outlook account ends in @outlook.com, @hotmail.com, or @live.com, the password lives at the Microsoft account level.

Steps:

1. Go to account.microsoft.com in any browser
2. Sign in and navigate to Security → Password security
3. Follow the prompts to verify your identity and set a new password
4. Once changed, open Outlook — it will either update automatically or display a prompt asking you to sign in again

For Microsoft 365 work or school accounts, your IT administrator may control password policies. In that case, the change is typically made through your organization's portal (often at myaccount.microsoft.com or a company-specific URL), not through personal account settings.

Updating Saved Credentials in Outlook Desktop (Windows)

If you've changed your password elsewhere and Outlook on Windows is now failing to connect or repeatedly asking for your password, you need to update the stored credentials.

Option 1 — Outlook's account settings:

1. Open Outlook and go to File → Account Settings → Account Settings
2. Select the affected email account and click Change
3. Update the password field and click Next to verify the connection

Option 2 — Windows Credential Manager:

1. Open the Control Panel and search for Credential Manager
2. Under Windows Credentials, find entries related to Microsoft Office or your email provider
3. Expand the entry and click Edit to update the stored password

Some users find that Outlook caches old credentials so aggressively that Option 1 alone doesn't resolve the issue — clearing entries from Credential Manager as well is often the more reliable fix.

Outlook on Mac

On macOS, Outlook stores credentials through the system Keychain.

1. Open Outlook → Preferences → Accounts
2. Select the account and look for the option to remove and re-add it, or update the password directly
3. If the issue persists, open Keychain Access (via Spotlight), search for your email address, and update or delete the stored entry so Outlook prompts for fresh credentials

Outlook Mobile (iOS and Android)

On the Outlook mobile app, credential management is handled at the account level within the app itself.

1. Tap your profile icon → Settings (gear icon)
2. Select the email account you need to update
3. Depending on the account type, you'll either see a password field to update directly, or you'll be prompted to remove and re-add the account

Microsoft accounts on mobile often use token-based authentication, so a password change online may trigger an automatic sign-out on the app rather than a quiet background update.

Outlook on the Web (Outlook.com)

If you access Outlook through a browser at outlook.com, password changes happen at the Microsoft account level — there's no separate in-app password setting.

Sign out, visit account.microsoft.com/security, make the change, then sign back in.

Variables That Affect the Process 🖥️

When Outlook Keeps Asking for Your Password

A common frustration: you've updated your password but Outlook won't stop prompting for it. This usually points to one of three things — cached credentials that haven't been cleared, an authentication token that's expired, or a profile corruption that requires removing and re-adding the account entirely.

Persistent loops are more common on Outlook for Windows with older Exchange or IMAP configurations, and less common with modern Microsoft 365 setups that use token-based authentication.

The Part That Depends on Your Setup

The steps above cover the most common paths — but which path applies to you depends entirely on your specific combination of account type, Outlook version, operating system, and whether your account is managed by an organization. A personal Outlook.com account on a Mac looks nothing like a corporate Microsoft 365 account on Windows, even though both show up as "Outlook."

How straightforward the change ends up being often comes down to details that only become visible once you're inside your own settings.