Nowadays, forgetting a computer or account password can be disastrous. Unfortunately, it happens to almost everyone, sooner or later. With the busy schedule of modern life, it's easy to forget one password, especially if you use many different ones for all of your accounts. There isn't much you can do to recover an access key once you've forgotten it; even the service that gave you the account often doesn't know that information. Before you lose hope, however, think about how you chose your password: it might be enough to refresh your memory!
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Remember Your Password
Step 1. Try any other passwords you remember
Assuming that people forget their access keys one at a time, it's a good idea to try all the ones you use regularly. Although many users today have learned to use different passwords for each of their accounts, in some cases you will happen to choose the same one.
- If you have any doubts, it is possible that you have not forgotten your password, but simply that you do not remember which passkey corresponds to which account.
- Don't forget to even try old passwords or passwords that you no longer use if you haven't tried to log into that account in a while.
Step 2. Try the most trivial passwords
A hunt for the access code cannot ignore the most common answers. This tip can be especially useful if you have no idea what the password is and are trying to guess it from scratch. Try to think of the most intuitive and mundane words you may have chosen. "Password", "Sandwich" or your full name are incredibly easy passwords for a hacker to crack, but if you think you could have used them, at least you won't have to go too far to crack them.
- Some of the most commonly used passwords include "123456", "abc123", "qwerty" and "tiamo". Dates of birth are also very common.
- If you think your password may be a trivial word with a little variation, try cracking it. For example, you may have used your name and year of birth in the code, perhaps the other way around.
- Today, almost all access keys require at least one number. The most commonly added is "1" at the end of the word; the second is the year of birth (for example 1992).
Step 3. Think back to your life when you chose the password
In many cases, people find inspiration from their life and the environment they are in. If you think you know when the account and access key were created, try to remember those moments and factors that may have influenced your choice. Were you in a romantic relationship or a pet at the time? Thinking carefully about your past is useful for remembering a specific detail like a password.
- Other possible sources of inspiration could be your hometown, the team you cheer for or the name of your best friend.
- If you try too hard to try to remember, you will have the opposite effect to what you want. Our brains have a hard time retrieving information under stress, so relax, breathe and think it's not the end of the world.
Step 4. Make sure you type the password correctly
When you try to enter an access key, make sure you don't make a mistake. Just leave the "Caps Lock" key inserted to make all your passwords invalid and run the risk of considering a correct word incorrect! Since passwords are almost always shown as asterisks on your screen, it's important to write them down carefully if you're not sure you remember them.
This is especially important when creating a password. If you accidentally confirm a typo in your password, it would be very difficult to recover it in the future
Step 5. Meditate
While it may seem like the hardest thing to do in a time of great stress, since you've lost access to a computer or account, relaxing through meditation can be a powerful aid to your memory. In some cases, the most effective way to remember something is not to think about it. Take a deep breath and gradually expel all frustration from your body; feeling anger or anxiety won't help you remember your password, so you should focus on your peace of mind.
- You can't truly relax if you try to use meditation as a means of unlocking your memory, but it is possible that the password will come to your mind when your mental state is more peaceful.
- Exercising or going for a run can also help you a lot. Your mind works best if your body is in motion!
Step 6. Purchase and use a program that can crack passwords
There are some applications designed specifically to recover forgotten access keys. While they are almost always associated with the hacker culture, legitimate companies recommend them to regain access to a device. Download the program from another computer, then put it on a CD or USB key, which you will insert into the locked system. The application will infiltrate your computer and retrieve your account data. The operation is automatic and very fast, so if you have forgotten your operating system password, this solution is really fast and inexpensive.
- Password cracking programs are designed to work only with operating system accounts, such as Windows. You cannot recover your email account password this way.
- Trying to recover your password with such a program is completely legal, but using the same application to break into other people's computers can get you in serious trouble and is absolutely not recommended.
Part 2 of 3: Recover Your Data
Step 1. Try using the "I forgot my password" service
If you have tried to remember your passkey without success, you will probably never get it back. Fortunately, this does not mean that you have lost the account associated with it. Most sites offer the "I forgot my password" option just for these circumstances. Click on the button and follow the on-screen steps to reset your password.
- It is quite simple to reset the passwords of accounts that are not e-mail (for example that of Facebook). An automatic confirmation will be sent to your e-mail address, thanks to which you can reset your password and choose a new one.
- Some email services (such as Hotmail) give you the ability to connect your account to another email address, just to allow you to use the password reset functionality. If you have more than one email account and you've linked the one whose credentials you don't remember to one of them, resetting your passkey will be a breeze.
Step 2. Answer the secret question for your account
If you're trying to log into an email account that isn't linked to any other email address, you need to answer a secret question of your choice to retrieve your password. When you create your account, you are asked some personal questions (for example the name of your first pet), which allow the site to verify your identity in the event of a lost password. Click on the "I forgot my password" button and answer the questions you are asked.
- Even if you won't recover your old password, you will have the option to set a new one.
- Unfortunately, many people don't take secret questions seriously and forget the answers even before the passwords!
Step 3. Contact your account provider's customer service
The company that manages your account cannot help you recover your old password, but they can reset your login credentials. If you provide the company with proof of your identity with a phone call or text, you will be able to regain access to your account.
Remember that the process of verifying your identity can take some time, even at best, so you need to arm yourself with patience if you decide to go this route
Part 3 of 3: Preventing Lost Passwords in the Future
Step 1. Make an effort to find passwords that are easy to remember
There are many reasons why you may have forgotten your passkey. You may have invented it at the time, or it may be too complex to be fully remembered. Creating tough passwords is very important for your security, but the thing that makes a password truly perfect is how easy it is for you to remember. It is not easy to find a unique and easy to remember password, because the most mundane options (the name of a place or a person) are too easy to guess.
- Try combining some easy-to-remember words. For example, your pet's name isn't a good choice on its own, but if you pair it with something entirely different, like the food you love or your favorite superhero, it won't be as easy for hackers to crack your password.
- When you create a password, on almost all sites you will find an indicator that detects its degree of security. Even if these are somewhat vague references, try to choose only medium to high security access keys. Adding symbols and numbers to your codes is a smart way to protect your accounts.
- Another commonly used device are mnemonic acronyms. Write the first few letters of each word of an easy-to-remember sentence, creating a series of meaningless letters. For example, the phrase "Friday is my favorite day of the week" would become "Vèimgpds". Likewise "Jazz is my favorite musical genre" would become "Ijèimgmp". You can use this method with any sentence you can think of, as long as they consist of enough words to satisfy the minimum number of characters (usually 8).
Step 2. Write down your passwords and keep them in a sealed envelope
You should try to choose passwords that are rather easy to remember, but you should also write them down and keep them in a safe place, because there is always the possibility of forgetting them. Close the envelope and leave it blank, or write something on it that doesn't make it clear. In this way, if someone were to find it, they would not understand its importance.
If you are really worried about losing the envelope, you may want to consider giving it to a close friend or someone you trust. This solution is not recommended, because it means giving another person control of your passwords and, consequently, your personal information
Step 3. Use a password manager
Especially if you use different passcodes for each of your accounts, it can be difficult to remember them all. Fortunately, there are password management applications that can do this for you. The downside of these programs is that almost all of them are paid (between € 20 and € 40). However, you can decide to pay that amount willingly to ensure your internet security and not to have to remember all your passwords.
- Since a password manager does all the dirty work for you, you can afford to choose very complex passcodes, because you won't have to remember them.
- As a free alternative, you can create an encrypted file on your computer that contains all your passwords. That way, you just need to remember one.
Step 4. Not all passwords are of equal importance
It is clear that the password of your online banking account must be more secure than that of your jazz blog, but as a general rule, choose more complex passwords for the accounts that are most important to your life and well-being.
At the same time, keep in mind that bizarre symbols and numbers make passwords harder to guess, but also harder to remember. The secret is to find the right balance between complexity and simplicity. Do not create passcodes that you are sure you cannot remember, and if you decide to do so, be sure to write them down somewhere, where no one can find them and where they will not be lost
Advice
- The best way to fix password problems is to prevent them, so make sure you choose them carefully.
- If you have trouble remembering your passwords, you may have general difficulties with memory. Whatever your situation, you can do a lot of exercises to improve your overall memory. By training this part of the brain, you will limit the risk of forgetting passwords in the future and gain many other benefits.
