# Locked out of your email, photos and accounts: how to get back in > Start with your email, because it unlocks everything else. Go to the company’s official recovery page by typing the address yourself, and use your recovery phone or email from a familiar device. Ignore “support” numbers in ads and paid recovery services. Once back in, change the password, turn on two-step login, remove recovery info or forwarding rules you don’t recognize, and change passwords on linked accounts. - URL: https://explained.page/locked-out-of-accounts - Language: en - Last checked: 2026-10-29 - Watch the 1-minute animated guide: https://explained.page/watch?start=locked-out-of-accounts ## Step by step 1. **Locked out of your email or accounts?** Your email is the key to everything else, so start there. Use only the official recovery steps. 2. **Go to the official recovery page.** Type the company’s address yourself. Use your recovery phone or email, and answer from a device and place you’ve used before. 3. **Beware of fake “support.”** Big email companies rarely offer phone help. Numbers in ads and “recovery services” that charge you are often scams. Never share codes or pay with gift cards. 4. **Back in? Lock it down.** Change your password, turn on two-step login, and sign out of all other devices. An authenticator app or passkey is safer than text codes. 5. **Check what the hacker changed.** Hackers often add their own recovery info or secretly forward your mail. Remove anything you don’t recognize. 6. **Secure your other accounts.** Change passwords for accounts linked to that email, starting with banking. Warn friends not to click messages sent from your account. 7. **Prevent it next time.** Save backup codes somewhere safe, keep your recovery phone current, and use a password manager so every password is different. 8. **Look it up the right way.** Search with your town or state in the words. Pick the official site: it usually ends in .gov. Skip ads and sites that charge for free forms. ## Checklist - Use the official recovery page - Ignore “support” numbers in ads - Change your password and turn on two-step login - Remove the hacker’s recovery info and forwarding - Secure linked accounts - Save backup codes ## Start with email Your email resets every other account, so recover it first. ## Use only official recovery Type the company’s web address yourself and use its account recovery page. Try from a device and location you’ve used before, and use your recovery phone or email. ## Avoid fake help Big email and photo services rarely offer phone support. “Support” numbers in ads and paid “recovery services” are often scams. Never share login codes or pay with gift cards or crypto. ## Once you’re back in - Change the password and turn on two-step login. An authenticator app or passkey is safer than text codes. - Sign out of all other devices. - Check recovery phone and email, forwarding rules, connected apps and recent activity. Remove anything you don’t recognize. ## Protect everything else Change passwords on accounts that use that email, starting with banks and money apps. Warn contacts not to click messages sent from your account. If money or identity is involved, report it at IdentityTheft.gov. ## Prevent it Save backup codes, keep your recovery phone current, and use a password manager. ## Common questions ### What if I can’t recover my account at all? Keep trying the official recovery steps from a familiar device. Some services let you appeal or verify with ID. Meanwhile, secure your other accounts and tell contacts. Source page: https://explained.page/locked-out-of-accounts/questions/what-if-i-cant-recover-my-account-at-all ### How did they get my password? Often from a data breach where the same password was reused, a fake login page, or malware. Use a different password for every account. Source page: https://explained.page/locked-out-of-accounts/questions/how-did-they-get-my-password ### How do I recover a hacked email account? Use the provider’s official account recovery page, from a device and location you’ve used before, with your recovery phone or email. Type the address yourself. Source page: https://explained.page/locked-out-of-accounts/questions/how-do-i-recover-a-hacked-email-account ### Is there a phone number to call for email account recovery? Most big email providers don’t offer phone recovery. Numbers in ads claiming to be support are often scams. Source page: https://explained.page/locked-out-of-accounts/questions/is-there-a-phone-number-to-call-for-email-account-recovery ### What are email forwarding rules and why check them? Settings that automatically send copies of your mail elsewhere. Hackers set them up to keep reading your mail, so delete any you didn’t create. Source page: https://explained.page/locked-out-of-accounts/questions/what-are-email-forwarding-rules-and-why-check-them ### What is two-step login? A second check after your password, like a code or a prompt on your phone. It stops most account takeovers, even if your password leaks. Source page: https://explained.page/locked-out-of-accounts/questions/what-is-two-step-login ### What is a passkey? A newer way to sign in using your phone or computer’s fingerprint, face or PIN instead of a password. It’s very hard to steal with fake login pages. Source page: https://explained.page/locked-out-of-accounts/questions/what-is-a-passkey ### Should I pay a service to recover my account? No. Legitimate recovery is free through the official page. Paid “recovery” offers are usually scams. Source page: https://explained.page/locked-out-of-accounts/questions/should-i-pay-a-service-to-recover-my-account ## Official sources - [FTC consumer advice: hacked email or social media](https://consumer.ftc.gov/) - [CISA: Secure Our World](https://www.cisa.gov/secure-our-world) - [IdentityTheft.gov](https://www.identitytheft.gov/) To find your local office, search for: - "[email provider] official account recovery" - "FTC hacked email what to do" --- General information, not legal or professional advice. Rules differ by state. From explained.page (www.explained.page). Life’s stuff, explained simply.