Why can’t I sign into my mail? I get the message invalid password.’Because you entered the wrong know that seems obvious — it’s what the message says, after all — but I get so much pushback. “No, it’s not! I typed it in correctly!”No, you didn’t. Whatever it is you typed in isn’t the we need to dive deeper and understand exactly why it’s possible the password you think is correct isn’ password, in a nutshellWhatever system you’re attempting to sign in to — an online account, a computer, or something else — has a password associated with it. That password was set up when you set up the account. In order to confirm you’re the person who owns and should be allowed access to the account, you need to type the same password you did before. If what you type now matches what the system thinks your password should be, you’re an “invalid password” message simply means the password you entered doesn’t match the password the system expects for the account you’re attempting to say it again if you get “invalid password”, then the password you entered doesn’t match what the system expects. are several ways that can happen — some benign, some not so much.“Hard to remember” means error proneI get “invalid password” all the time, and it’s always due to a typo on my part. Recent experiences include setting up a super-secure 20 character password to an account, and then having to painfully, slowly, and awkwardly enter that password on a device without a keyboard a streaming device connected to my television.It’s secure. So secure it’s difficult for me to type it in, much less remember it, when I need though I know it’s frustrating, make absolutely certain you’re typing in exactly the right password. Even one character off is enough to make it wrong.“Hard to see” means error proneParticularly with the proliferation of small devices with small keyboards, entering the right password can be a real challenge. Add to that the asterisks usually displayed instead of the characters you’ve actually typed, and it can be nearly impossible to not only type the right thing, but even know what it is you’ve typed so often the solution is simply to take it slowly and carefully. However, there are some situations where you can click or tap on an “eye” icon that will allow the password you’re entering to be displayed as you enter a password into LastPass, with visibility enabled. Click for larger image.Even in the example above, I couldn’t type “lastpass” without making a only display passwords when you’re in a secure situation where no one else can see what you’re typing, but I find this an invaluable tool for getting the password recent changesAnother scenario I run into myself is simply not recalling that I’ve made a recent password change, and typing in the old, no-longer-valid this happens to me for my most-used accounts. My fingers act on some kind of muscle memory and start typing what they’ve typed so often for so long. It’s not until I’m gently reminded by an “invalid password” message that I recall the change and enter the new, correct there’s a much more common scenario of password change where your memory — muscle or otherwise — simply can’t hacksWhen someone hacks into your account, the first thing they often do is change the this happens, the password you know is no longer your password. No amount of typing it in1 will make your old password work. It’s no longer the password to the is another case where I get a lot of pushback, but I can’t emphasize it enough. If your account is hacked, your password is no longer your only recourse is to follow the appropriate account-recovery procedures to regain access to your account, set a new password once you do, and then take additional steps to further secure it from being hacked “invalid password” miscellanyNaturally, there are other, less common things that also contribute to encountering the “invalid password” programs will now remind you, but make sure CAPS LOCK is not on. “A” is not the same as “a”; upper/lower case must if a service is hacked, it will reset passwords proactively. Most of the time they’ll accept your old password once and force you to change it, but sometimes they’ll invalidate all passwords and you’ll be required to go through a password recovery/lost password process. Usually they’ll email you are probably other scenarios as don’t report “invalid password” capriciously or without cause. When you get this message, it’s because the password you entered doesn’t match the password they expect — why there’s a mismatch is the key to getting back audio