Change your Mail password directly in the Mail app settings

To change your Mail password on iPhone, open the Settings app, tap Mail, then select Accounts. Choose the email account you want to update, tap Account, and look for the password field. Tap the password field, delete the old password, and enter your new one. Tap Save in the top right corner. The Mail app will verify the new password and sync your account.

This method works for most email providers including Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo, and iCloud. The exact wording of menu items may vary slightly depending on your email provider, but the general path remains the same across all accounts.

If you changed your password through your email provider's website first, you must update it in the Mail app within a few days. If you don't, the Mail app will stop syncing and show an error message asking you to update your password.

Key Takeaways

  • Open Settings, tap Mail, select Accounts, choose your email account, and tap Account to find the password field.
  • Delete your old password and type your new one, then tap Save to update the Mail app.
  • If you changed your password on your email provider's website, update it in the Mail app within a few days or syncing will stop.
  • The Mail app will show an error message if your password is out of date, prompting you to enter the correct one.
  • You can change passwords for multiple email accounts by repeating these steps for each account in your Accounts list.

What happens if you ignore the password error

When your Mail password is outdated, the app stops downloading new messages and shows a notification that says "Mail" with text like "The password for the email account [your email] is incorrect." This error appears because the Mail app cannot connect to your email server without the correct password.

Ignoring this error means you won't receive new emails until you update the password. Your old emails remain on your phone, but the app cannot fetch anything new. Some email providers may also temporarily lock your account if too many failed login attempts occur, though this is rare with Mail on iPhone.

Changing your password through your email provider first

Many people change their email password on the provider's website (Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo, or iCloud) before updating it on their phone. This is a safe approach because you control the change from a secure location. After you change it on the website, you have a window of time — usually a few days — to update it in the Mail app before syncing stops.

If you use two-factor authentication with your email account, you may need to generate an app-specific password instead of using your regular password. Gmail and Outlook both offer this option. Check your email provider's security settings to see if an app password is required for Mail on iPhone.

Troubleshooting when the password won't save

If you enter your new password and tap Save but the Mail app shows an error, the most common cause is a typo. Double-check that you typed the password correctly, including capital letters, numbers, and special characters. Passwords are case-sensitive, so "MyPassword" is different from "mypassword."

If you're certain the password is correct but the error persists, try signing out of the account and signing back in. Go to Settings, tap Mail, select Accounts, tap your email account, scroll down, and tap Remove Account. Then tap Mail again, tap Accounts, tap Add Account, and choose your email provider. Enter your email address and new password to set up the account fresh.

If the error continues after removing and re-adding the account, your email provider may have temporarily blocked the connection. Wait 15 to 30 minutes and try again. Some providers throttle repeated login attempts as a security measure.

Using app-specific passwords for Gmail and Outlook

Gmail and Outlook require an app-specific password if you have two-factor authentication turned on. This is a 16-character password that only works with Mail on iPhone and other third-party apps — it's different from your regular email password.

For Gmail, go to myaccount.google.com, click Security on the left, scroll to App passwords, select Mail and iPhone, and Google will generate a 16-character password. Copy this password and paste it into the Mail app password field instead of your regular Gmail password.

For Outlook, go to account.microsoft.com, click Security, select App passwords, choose Mail and iPhone, and Microsoft will generate a password. Use this password in the Mail app instead of your regular Outlook password.

Updating multiple email accounts at once

If you have several email accounts set up in Mail on iPhone and you changed the password for one of them, you only need to update that specific account. Go to Settings, tap Mail, tap Accounts, and select only the account whose password changed. You don't need to touch the others.

However, if you changed the password for multiple accounts, repeat the password update process for each one. The Mail app handles each account separately, so updating one doesn't affect the others.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will changing my Mail password delete my emails on my iPhone?

No. Your emails stay on your phone even after you update the password. The password change only affects whether the Mail app can download new messages from the server. Old emails remain in your mailbox until you manually delete them.

Do I have to change my password in Mail if I changed it on Gmail's website?

Yes, within a few days. If you change your password on Gmail, Outlook, or any other provider's website, you must update it in the Mail app or syncing will stop. The Mail app uses the old password until you replace it with the new one.

What's the difference between my email password and an app-specific password?

An app-specific password is a separate 16-character password that only works with Mail and other third-party apps. Your regular email password works everywhere — on the website, on your phone, on your computer. Gmail and Outlook require the app-specific password if you have two-factor authentication on.

Can I change my Mail password without going to Settings?

No. You must go through Settings to update the password in the Mail app. You can change your actual email password on your provider's website, but the Mail app won't know about it until you manually update it in Settings.

What should I do if I forgot my new password?

Go to your email provider's website and use the "Forgot password" option to reset it. Once you've set a new password on the website, come back to Settings on your iPhone, go to Mail, select your account, and enter the new password in the password field.