Office 365 Password Reset (self-service options)

Option 1: “I know my password, but want to change it”

The 2010 version (wave 14) of Office 365 didn’t have a self service option for end users to change their passwords, and required them to send an email to their administrators if they wanted to make a change. Thankfully, the 2013 update of Office 365 has added that functionality right into the portal, and made this process much easier for the end user.

Here’s how you do it:

1. From anywhere in the Office 365 portal, click the gear icon beside your name, then click Office 365 Settings:

2. Select the password option on the left hand side of the screen that comes up

3. Type in your old password, then type your new password in and confirm it in the box below. Click Save and you’re done!

This is an option I’ve been wanting to see since the day I started using Office 365, it’s a huge time saver and it eliminates the need for users to ask an administrator every time they need to reset their password. Note that if a user has forgotten their password, they will still need to use the second option to get it reset.

Option 2: “I forgot my password!”

Office 365 (2010 version) never used to allow users to reset their passwords, unless they were administrators. If an administrator needed to reset their password, they could do so from the logon screen by clicking on Can’t access your account? If your users have forgotten their password, they can use this option to request a password reset.

Once here, you can fill out the password reset form and click Next. This will email a temporary password to the email address that you specified when your account was set up as an administrator.