Unlock Your MC/Email Account Using myPassword


Requirements: 

You must have a myPassword profile (security questions) set up before you can use myPassword to change your password. Refer to "MyPassword - MC/CUIMC Email Password Management" for information.

myPassword portal with the "unlock my Password" option circled

After four unsuccessful attempts to log in to your MC account or CUIMC email, your account will be locked. You may not see an error message, but simply get repeated prompts to log in. 

Note: myPassword is only to manage MC accounts and CUIMC Exchange/Microsoft 365  email accounts.

Note: The 2-minute timer at the bottom of most pages in myPassword prevents others from changing information if you have left your computer unattended. When it runs out you will need to log in again. If you need more time to fill out the fields, click any blank area on the myPassword page to restart the timer.

To unlock your account using the myPassword website:

  1. If you have a smartphone or tablet that is connected to your CUIMC email account, put the device(s) in Airplane mode first. This prevents it from trying to connect using a password that is no longer correct and locking the account.
  2. Go to https://mypassword.cumc.columbia.edu.
  3. The myPassword Self-Service page will appear. Select the link to Unlock my Password, as shown in the image above.
  4.  You will be asked to verify the Captcha. Enter the image you see in the picture (in the example below, the word is "mouth"):
    Captcha - enter the word in the picture
  5. You will be prompted to enter your MC User Name, which is the first part of your CUIMC email address (usually your UNI):
    enter User Name and Domain window
  6. The security questions you selected when you set up your myPassword profile will appear one by one. Type in your answer and click once on the Continue button until you have successfully answered all of the security questions.
    • Answers are case-sensitive: if you used any capitals when creating your profile they will be required here.
    • Be sure to click on the Continue button after answering each question rather than hitting the Enter key on your keyboard.
    • If you are not able to correctly answer any of the questions, you must call the Service Desk. Remember to choose new security questions. View  MyPassword - MC/CUIMC Email Password Management for more information.
  7. After successfully answering all security questions, you will see a message that your account has been unlocked. You can now log back into your MC domain account and/or CUIMC email account using your current, unchanged password.

Note: If your is repeatedly locked, make sure your new password is updated on any smartphones and tablets that are connected to your CUMC email account.

Additional Help

If you need a password reset but did not set up your security questions in myPassword or are not able to answer them, you can submit the CUIMC email/MC account Password Reset form (use your UNI to log in if prompted).  A technician will contact you to assist with the reset.