Securing Your Amazon Account: A Foolproof Guide to Changing Your Password

As an avid Amazon user, you conduct many sensitive transactions through your account. This includes storing payment methods, shipping addresses, and even logging into other services with Amazon. Therefore, keeping your account password updated and secure is critical.

In this comprehensive guide, I‘ll explain exactly why and how you must regularly change your Amazon password for maximum safety. You‘ll learn:

• Easy step-by-step password update instructions for both desktop and mobile
• Tips to create strong, unique passwords that resist hacking
• Enabling two-factor authentication for added security
• Answers to common Amazon password questions

Follow along to significantly boost your account security in just minutes!

Overview: The Critical Importance of Changing Amazon Passwords Frequently

With over 200 million Amazon users in the US alone, it‘s no surprise that hackers aggressively target account credentials. An analysis by Tenable Research found over 15 million Amazon login attempts on the dark web last year.

Cybercriminals realize that compromising your Amazon password enables access to:

• Saved personal/financial information
• Payment methods like credit cards
• Shopping/ordering history and ability to make purchases
• Potential access to other accounts if you use Amazon to log in

Plus if youreuse passwords across accounts, one breach can expose your entire digital life.

Making matters worse – 91% of surveyed Amazon users have never changed their passwords according to Security.org. This provides attackers nearly unlimited time to guess weak passwords.

That‘s why cybersecurity experts universally recommend updating your Amazon password frequently. Let‘s examine additional reasons why it‘s critical to regularly change your password:

• Prevents unauthorized access – Old passwords give hackers more guessing attempts. Changing passwords routinely reduces this risk window.

• Security against password leaks – No system is foolproof, even Amazon has suffered breaches before exposing account passwords. Proactively updating passwords minimizes damage.

• Best practice for account hygiene – Cybersecurity firms suggest changing critical account passwords every 60-90 days at minimum for optimal safety.

Hopefully I‘ve convinced you on the vital importance of keeping fresh Amazon account passwords. Next I‘ll walk through multiple methods to easily change your password…

Step-By-Step Guide: Changing Your Amazon Password on Desktop

When logged into the Amazon website on your laptop or desktop, you can update expired passwords in just minutes:

Access Your Amazon Account Settings

First, log into Amazon.com as usual by clicking Sign-In in the top-right and entering your credentials.

Once signed in successfully, click the Accounts & Lists drop-down menu next to the search bar:

Here click on Your Account to access your account homepage:

This will display your account details including order history, recommendations, and more.

Navigate to the Login & Security Page

On the left sidebar menu, click the Login & security link under the Ordering and shopping preferences section:

This opens your account‘s security preferences where you can manage login details and additional safety options.

Update Your Amazon Account Password

Scroll down to the Password section and click the yellow Edit button beside your current password:

First this will prompt you to enter your current password correctly to confirm authorization for the change. Type this in and click submit.

Next, you will be able to set your new password:

• Enter the new password into the New password and Re-enter new password fields
• Use at least 12 characters, with upper/lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols
• Avoid personal info, common words/phrases, repeated characters
• Once set, click Save changes to confirm

That‘s it! You‘ll get a confirmation that your new password has been set. I suggest changing your Amazon password using this method every 60-90 days for optimal security.

Next, let‘s examine how to update that outdated Amazon account password from your smartphone…

Step-By-Step Guide: Changing Your Amazon App Password on Mobile

If you prefer the convenience of managing passwords on the go from your iPhone, Android, or tablet, the process is quite similar in the Amazon mobile app:

Launch the Amazon App and Login

If you don‘t already have the official Amazon app, download it for free from the Apple App Store or Google Play store. Open the app once installed.

At launch you‘ll be prompted to sign into your account. Tap Sign-In and enter your email and current password when prompted:

Once signed in successfully, you‘ll see your account homepage.

Access Your Account Settings

Tap the hamburger menu ≡ icon in the upper left corner of the app window to open the side navigation menu.

In the menu, choose Your Account to view your account details:

Navigate to Login & Security

This opens your account homepage within the app. Scroll down until you see the Login & security link under Account settings:

Tap this to navigate to the security options for your Amazon account.

Change Your Amazon App Password

You‘ll now be on the Login & Security screen where you can reset those old, vulnerable passwords.

Tap Edit password below your current password visibility. First, this will require entering the current password properly to confirm you‘re authorized to make changes.

Once verified, you can set and confirm your new password:

• Enter the new password
• Use special characters, numbers, upper and lowercase letters
• Make it 12+ characters long
• Ensure it‘s unique from other passwords you use
• Tap Save changes to set your new password

Just like that, you‘ve reset your Amazon password straight from your mobile device! I recommend repeating this every 60-90 days moving forward.

Tips for Creating Secure, Strong Passwords

When establishing that new password during this process, be absolutely sure it has rock-solid security:

• Minimum 12 characters – The longer the password, the tougher to penetrate.
• Mix upper/lower cases – Using all letter cases exponentially expands possibilities a hacker must attempt.
• Include symbols/numbers – Incorporating special characters makes cracking far more difficult.
• Avoid personal info – Things like birthdays or pet names can be uncovered and used to guess passwords.
• Never reuse passwords – Unique passwords for every account reduces risk if one password gets stolen.
• Consider passphrases – These are long passwords made of words that are easier to remember vs a string of random characters.

You can also leverage a password generator tool for a secured, truly random password. I‘ll cover great password manager options next.

How Password Managers Can Make Your Life Easier

Personally generating and remembering high-security passwords for every service, app, and website you use is nearly impossible.

This is where dedicated password managers come to the rescue! They securely store unique, complex passwords for each account and automatically input them during login. All you need to remember is one master password providing access to the vault.

The bottom line is that using any modern password manager, even free versions, provides exponentially better security across all your accounts versus trying to handle passwords manually. Give one a shot!

Enable Login Approvals – Extra Account Protection

In addition to regularly changing your master password, turning on Login Approvals for your Amazon account adds an effective second layer of account security.

• When enabled, after correctly entering your password Amazon will text you a one-time passcode
• You must then enter this SMS code on the login screen to successfully access your account
• Having the password alone no longer grants access!

Here‘s how to turn on login approvals:

1. Follow steps above to access your Login & Security settings
2. Under Two-Step Verification, click on Advanced Security For Your Account
3. Toggle Account Login Approvals to On
4. Enter your mobile number to receive login codes via SMS

With login approvals activated, even stolen passwords are useless to hackers!

Don‘t Forget to Enable Two-Factor Authentication Too!

While changing your Amazon password regularly is crucial, that single layer of security still leaves you vulnerable.

That‘s why in addition to using strong passwords, every Amazon account should employ Two-Factor Authentication (2FA).

With 2FA enabled, logging in requires not only your password but also a unique one-time-use 6-digit security code:

• Codes are generated by an authenticator app you install like Authy or Google Authenticator
• Alternatively, the code can be sent as an SMS text message
• Only with BOTH factors is login granted!

Activating 2FA is easy and free. Simply:

1. Follow the initial steps above to access your Amazon Login & Security settings
2. Under Two-Step Verification click Edit
3. Toggle 2FA to On and configure your preferred delivery method for codes

With both robust passwords changed routinely AND two-factor enabled, you can finally rest easy knowing your account stays locked up tight!

Answers to Frequently Asked Password Security Questions

Changing your Amazon password more often along with proper security protocols will keep you ultra-safe. But you may still have some lingering questions, so let‘s cover the most common ones:

How often should I really change my Amazon password?

Cybersecurity professionals overwhelmingly recommend updating your critical account passwords around every 60-90 days. Doing so ensures that even compromised passwords have a short lifespan where damage can be done.

What if I forget my complicated new password?

Resetting a forgotten password is easy. On the Amazon sign in screen click Forgot your password? and enter the email or mobile number on file. You‘ll receive a password reset link to securely create a new password.

Can someone remotely change my Amazon password without my knowledge?

Absolutely not. To update the account password, you first must enter the current password correctly. So unless you explicitly go through the password change process outlined above, it cannot randomly change.

What happens if I enter the wrong password too many times?

Like most secure platforms, Amazon will lock your account after several failed login attempts to prevent hacking attempts. But utilizing that password reset option allows you to easily unlock the account and establish a brand new password.

Should I user a password manager to handle my Amazon credential?

Without question, yes. Automatic password managers like LastPass, Dashlane, and 1Password generate, store, and input unique complex passwords for you across all logged services and sites. Just be sure to use a very strong master password that only you know to access the manager!

In Summary: Keep Your Amazon Account Locked Down By Changing Passwords

I hope this guide has impressed upon you the immense importance of frequently changing your Amazon password to maximize critical account security. Please change your password a minimum of every 60-90 days.

Combined with very strong password complexity, using unique values across all accounts, and enabling two-factor authentication – you have tremendous protection against hackers accessing your sensitive personal/financial data.

Additionally, password managers eliminate the headache of having to remember constantly changing passwords. And login approvals provide an added layer of security when logging in, even if your password gets stolen somehow!

Let me know if you have any other questions about securing your Amazon account or password best practices. Please put this guidance to work protecting your account ASAP!