Change Your Windows Live Hotmail Password Periodically

Free web-based email services like Windows Live Hotmail or MSN Hotmail are a popular target for security attacks performed by serious hackers and hobbyists. To ensure nobody can read your emails or even send some from your Windows Live Hotmail account, you should change your Hotmail password now and then, every few weeks at least.

No Password is Perfectly Secure

Note that a great password is no protection against keyloggers on your computer and people peeking over your shoulder — not even if you change it frequently.

Change Your Hotmail Password Periodically

To change your Windows Live Hotmail password:

• Select Options... | More Options (or solely Options if you use Windows Live Hotmail classic) from the toolbar in Windows Live Hotmail.
• Follow the View and edit your personal information link under Manager your account.
• Click Change after Password: under Password reset information.
• Enter your current Windows Live Hotmail password under Old password:.
• Type the new password under both Type the new password and Retype new password:.
  • Make sure the password is both difficult to guess and easy to remember.
• To ensure you'll continue to change your Windows Live Hotmail password, you can check Make my password expire every 72 days.
• Click Save.

Change Your MSN Hotmail Password

To change the password protecting your MSN Hotmail account:

• Follow the Options link from the top Hotmail toolbar.
• Go to the Personal category.
• Select Password.
• Type in your old and new passwords.
  • Ideally, your password is hard to guess and easy to remember.
• Retype the new password to verify it.
• Select Continue.