Passwords are the first line of protection for your information, and after having been in use for more than sixty years, you'd have thought we had the hang of them. However, a list of the most common passwords in 2022 revealed that the top ten were:

password

123456

123456789

guest

qwerty

12345678

111111

12345

col123456

123123

None of those exactly scream "security," and if you've suddenly flushed with nerves after reading that list, it's probably time to change your password! We know strong passwords are important, so why do so many of us still use such lousy alternatives? What about an email without a phone number attached?

A lot of it seems to come down to memory: strong passwords are easy to forget, and with most people having dozens, if not hundreds, of digital accounts, it can feel impossible to keep track of them all.

So, faced with this, you can either use super-simple passwords (which isn't really an option), employ a dedicated service to manage your passwords (which comes with its own set of risks), or stick to strong passwords and have a backup plan in place.

This guide is that backup plan, walking you through how to change or reset your email password in Gmail, Yahoo, iCloud, and more, whether you're looking to add security or have simply forgotten your email password.