Nowadays, using a particular software or logging in to any online service without a password is impossible. It’s the first step of authentication software manufacturers implement to ensure no unauthorized activity. Everything from your email accounts to apps you download for personal or commercial use requires a username and password. But if you forget your credentials, here are some simple ways to recover forgotten passwords for commonly used global services.

Use a password recovery software
One of the quickest ways to professionally recover a lost or forgotten password is by subscribing to a password recovery service. You can download free and paid versions of this software.

Bear in mind that the utility of these applications will vary depending on what type of subscriptions you opt for while purchasing the software. Free and basic versions can only recover passwords for a limited trial period, whereas paid utilities offer lifetime assistance for a one-time license. A Passware kit is an instant recovery solution that is easy to use but is a slightly premium option. Recover My Password is another free solution for personal use, but businesses must pay for a premium plan. For more tech-savvy users, consider John the Ripper, a free-to-use open-source software compatible with multiple operating systems used globally.

Other options you can consider for free and premium password recovery include Trinity Rescue Kit and Ophcrack, among the top recommended software.

Recovering your Apple password
Apple’s ecosystem is one of the most secure operating systems developed to this day. This means very few external options are available for recovering your lost or forgotten password. But why go outside the network when Apple support provides easy password reset using simple two-factor authentication on your registered devices. All you need is your Apple ID details to authenticate the transaction and set your new password. If you forget your Apple ID, there is an option to look it up online on the official website. Simply fill up a form with your particulars like first name, last name, and registered email to recover your forgotten Apple ID. Once this information is available, go to settings on your registered iPad, iMac, MacBook, or Apple smart devices to reset your password. When all else fails, directly contact Apple Support to look into the matter and have your credentials reset.

Recovering your Google password
Gmail has become the standard go-to option for logging in and out of any software you use online for personal and business purposes. So naturally, you might panic after forgetting the password or if your verification codes are invalid due to faulty online scripts. Resetting your google account can solve all these problems, and this can be done in a matter of minutes. Google follows strict two-factor authentication, and it is standard practice to implement this authentication upon creating a new email ID. So, all you need is the phone number or backup email ID where the authenticator code is sent to reset any account services. Google will also use a safety prompt where you will have to answer a secret question to confirm it is you trying to sign into the account. These steps are essential for logging into all of Google’s online services, including Gmail, Meet, Docs, Maps, Play Store, Drive, Duo, and Calendar.

Recovering your Microsoft password
If you use a Windows OS, there are plenty of recovery options to check out with direct support by Microsoft. This is possible with Windows 7, 8, and 10, even if you don’t have administrator access. For example, Windows OS prompts to create a recovery drive or USB recovery disk as soon as the device is set up for first use. If you have managed to create a recovery disk, plug it in and follow the onscreen instruction to reset your password. If you skipped this part while setting up your new device, the next thing to try is the Windows default startup repair option. This inbuilt procedure automatically scans and fixes device errors. This is followed by an elaborate task of onscreen instructions to use commands to set a new password manually. The latest OS versions have further simplified this task with advanced options for recovery and startup in the event your device fails and you are locked out of the system. You can further reset the login password using two-factor authentication with a backup email ID or registered phone number for all of your other linked Microsoft accounts. The One Time Password allows you to reset all account credentials in just a few simple steps.

Note that you can also recover your forgotten passwords from the vendors of software you’ve been using all this time. It is one of the quickest ways to reset using existing credentials provided to the vendor for password recovery. In most cases, when you are using a browser to log in, the browser will also feature a prompt to save and remember the password for the next use. You can also use this option to automatically log in to trusted websites and servers online.