How to Regain Access to WeChat If You Forget Password

WeChat is one of the biggest messaging apps in the world, and certainly one of the most popular apps in China. It is so popular that it has over 1 billion monthly active users worldwide, and that is an impressive achievement that not many apps have attained. The app is available on multiple platforms in 20 languages, which adds to its popularity. Although it has been involved in a fair share of political scandals, and it has been accused of not handling users' private information appropriately, this is not what this article is about. It was created to help out those who have forgotten WeChat password or ID login credentials. Is that you? If it is, we hope that this article and the instructions included will help you solve all issues quickly and painlessly. We also offer a solution that ensures you simply cannot forget passwords again.

Did you forget WeChat password or ID? Not a problem!

Did you unlock your mobile device, tap the WeChat app icon, and then faced a login page? Maybe you have just downloaded the app on a new device, or maybe you were logged out due to security reasons. Whatever the case might be, if you cannot log in, it is only natural if you start panicking a little bit. After all, you did not install the WeChat app without reason. You installed it because you want to chat with your friends and family. And how are you supposed to do that if your user ID does not match the password you enter. So, what is happening here? It is most likely that you simply forgot your WeChat password or ID. According to some researchers, an average user can have up to 150 accounts, many of which require passwords. Even if you haven't reached that level yet, remembering 40, 50, and more passwords can not only be difficult but nearly impossible. Of course, that is not an issue if you use the same password for every login, but if that is the case, you are in trouble because if one account is hacked, all others can fall like dominoes.

If you are sure that you have the right password for your WeChat account, it is possible that someone has changed it without your permission. If hackers manage to guess or brute-force a password, they can change it to ensure that you cannot log in and regain full control of your account. Hopefully, that isn't the case, but if you end up stealing your account back from attackers, make sure you change the password, check your messages to see if malicious links were not sent from your profile and warn your contacts about the incident.

Reset WeChat password using linked accounts

When you signed up for WeChat, you might have linked your profile to a QQ account, your personal email address, or your telephone number. In this case, all you need to do is tap the Forgot Password link in the login page menu and select Mobile Linked, QQ ID Linked, or Email Linked and follow the on-screen instructions to retrieve the password. If this method does not work for you, follow the instructions below.

  1. Tap on the top-right corner of the app and tap Switch Account.
  2. Select Log in via Mobile number, Log in via linked email address, or Log in via QQ ID.
  3. Depending on the chosen method, enter the phone number, email address, or QQ ID and password.
  4. Use verification code SMS, email, or QQ credentials to regain access to your WeChat account.

Request retrieval of a new WeChat password

If you forgot WeChat password, but it is not linked to other accounts, or you are unable to retrieve the password using them, you can request the app to retrieve a new password for you. You can do this following the instructions below. If you follow these steps, a new password should be issued and sent to a selected number within 24 hours. Note that if you have accounts linked to your WeChat before you take these steps, they will all be unlinked after you enter the new password.

  1. Tap on the top-right corner of the app and tap Forgot Password.
  2. Tap Request Retrieval.
  3. Fill the form and select Accept Terms of Service.
  4. Tap Request Retrieval again.

Use Emergency Contacts

If you had selected a few of your friends as your emergency contacts before you forgot WeChat password, you could use them to help you retrieve the password. Follow the instructions below, and if you have not set up Emergency Contacts, we suggest doing that as soon as you restore access to your account using the other password recovery methods suggested above.

  1. Tap on the top-right corner of the app and tap Unable to Log in?
  2. Select Request password retrieval.
  3. Fill the form and select Already Set.
  4. Use your emergency contacts to help you verify your account.

N.B. If you have other login-related problems, you can always seek help at the WeChat Help Center.

You don't need to forget WeChat password or ID ever again

Forgetting passwords and user IDs is a frustrating thing, and sometimes users are unable to regain access to their personal accounts at all. If you have hundreds of valuable WeChat contacts, surely, you do not want to just give up when you cannot log in on the first try. Hopefully, you can successfully recover your password via linked email or QQ accounts, or your mobile number. If that does not work, maybe you can restore the forgotten password using Emergency Contacts or the Password Retrieval option.

If you fear that you might forget the password again, you might decide to create one that you can remember effortlessly, but that is not something you should do if you value your virtual security. Instead, you want to create a password that is long and complicated, so that hackers cannot just guess it. You definitely should not sacrifice your security for convenience, and you don't even have to because you can use a password manager. Cyclonis Password Manager offers free password management services, and it can generate, keep, and protect all passwords to all of your accounts. All you have to do is install the application, go to Private Notes, and create a password-protected note with your WeChat password and ID. If you do this, you will only need to remember one single password, and you will not need to remember another one besides your master password ever again.

By Foley
September 14, 2018
September 14, 2018

One Comment

  • Karen Espeseth:

    I have tried all of the above to access my WeChat account. I have a new deivce and forgot my password. When I try to retrieve it using my linked phone number and SMS code, it does give me a Code. I immediately (within 30 seconds) type in new code. It tells me code has expired and to retrieve a new one. This has been going on for days. I'm in a loop.

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