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Are you looking for a way to change or reset the security questions in Yahoo Mail? That security feature has been removed, so you can't create new questions or edit existing ones. However, you can remove them from your account. This wikiHow teaches you how to disable the now-defunct security questions for your Yahoo! account and implement more secure recovery methods, including phone number verification and a backup email address.
Disabling Yahoo! Security Questions on Desktop
- Go to yahoo.com on your browser, sign in, and go to your profile.
- Click Manage your account, then Security, then Disable Security Questions.
- Yahoo! no longer uses security questions, so click Add recovery phone number.
- Enter your phone number, then select to receive the code via text or WhatsApp.
- Enter the code to verify your phone number.
- Add an email to recover your account.
- Enter the code sent to that email to verify it.
Steps
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1Open a web browser on your computer. Because of several hacks in 2016, Yahoo! is no longer using security questions. This means you’ll want to add new account verification methods in case you get locked out in the future.
- Unencrypted security questions and answers have been disabled, so if you can’t answer the questions and you don’t have another recovery method associated with your account, you won’t be able to retrieve it and are locked out for good.[1]
- It’s still possible that you can get help unlocking your account from a live agent at Yahoo! by calling 1-800-745-0739. However, keep in mind that this is a paid service.[2]
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2Visit the Yahoo! home page and sign in. You need to sign in to remove old security questions from your account.
- Enter your Yahoo! account name and password to log in.
- If you’re currently locked out of your account, visit the Account Recovery page. You’ll need to enter a recovery email or phone number associated with the account in order to retrieve it.
- Security questions are no longer being used by Yahoo!, and you won’t be able to use the answers to your old questions, even if they’re correct.
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3Click your profile name. You’ll see this in the same location where the Sign In button was.
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4Click Manage Your Account. It's the first option on the menu.
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5Click Security. You'll see this tab along the top of your screen next to Overview, Personal Info, and Subscriptions.
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Click Disable security questions. If you previously had security questions enabled, you can disable them here. Once you’ve disabled your security questions, you can add new recovery methods.[3]
- Your existing security questions cannot be edited, and new ones cannot be created.
- If you don't see the option to remove your security questions, there aren't any on your account.
- In the case that you have an account that had security questions, they may have been disabled automatically when you added a recovery email or phone number.
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7Click Add phone number. Since Yahoo! doesn’t use security questions anymore, adding a phone number to your account is the quickest way to verify your identity in the future.
- You'll see the section to add a phone number below the Verification Methods header.
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8Type a valid phone number. This must be a mobile number that can receive SMS messages or has access to WhatsApp to receive the verification code.
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9Click Receive code by text or Receive code on WhatsApp. Tap either of these to get a code sent to you.
- After you make your selection, a new window with empty boxes loads.
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10Type the code that you receive and click Next. Type the code (usually 6 digits) into the empty boxes, then click the Next button to continue. This verifies your new phone number. If you didn't get the code on your phone, you can click to resend the code from the website, below the empty boxes.
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11Click Add email address. Besides associating a mobile number, you can also add another email address at which you can be reached. Password reset links will be sent to this address. You'll find this under the "Verification Methods" header.
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12Type in a valid email address and click Next. Yahoo! will send a code to that email.
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13Type the code that you receive and click Next. Type the code (usually 6 digits) into the empty boxes, then click the Next button to continue. This verifies your new email address.
- If you didn't get the email from Yahoo!, check your Spam or Updates folder.
- You can also request another email by clicking Resend code.
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1Visit the Yahoo! home page from your mobile device and sign in. Multiple Yahoo! hacks in 2016 led to the phasing out of security questions for Yahoo! accounts. You’ll need to disable security questions if you still have them and set up new recovery options.
- You need to sign in to remove old security questions from your account.
- If you are currently locked out of your account and don’t have any recovery methods associated besides security questions, you will not be able to recover your account. If you have a phone number or backup email, you can recover your account at the Yahoo! Account Recovery page.
- Even if you don’t have any working recovery methods, you may still be able to get help unlocking your account from a live agent at Yahoo! by calling 1-800-745-0739. However, keep in mind that this is a paid service.[4]
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2Tap your profile name or picture. It's in the top right corner of the page.
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3Tap Manage your account. It's the first option on the menu.
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4Tap Security. You'll see this tab along the top of your screen next to Overview, Personal Info, and Subscriptions.
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5Tap Disable security questions. If you had security questions associated with your account, you’ll need to disable them before you can add new recovery methods. Existing security questions cannot be edited, and you can’t make new ones.
- If you don't see this option, there aren't any security questions enabled on your account.
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6Tap Add phone number. It's under the Verification Methods header.
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7Type a valid phone number. This must be a mobile number that can receive SMS messages or has access to WhatsApp to receive the verification code.
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8Tap Receive code by text or Receive code on WhatsApp. Select either of these to get a code sent to you.
- After you make your selection, a new window with empty boxes loads.
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9Type the code that you receive and tap Next. Type the code (usually 6 digits) into the empty boxes, then tap the Next button to continue. This verifies your new phone number. If you didn't get the code on your phone, you can tap to resend the code from the website, below the empty boxes.
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10Tap Add email address. Besides associating a mobile number, you can also add another email address at which you can be reached. Password reset links will be sent to this address. You'll find this under the Verification Methods header.
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11Type in a valid email address and tap Next. Yahoo! will send a code to that email.
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12Type the code that you receive and tap Next. Type the code (usually 6 digits) into the empty boxes, then tap the Next button to continue. This verifies your new email address.
- If you didn't get the email from Yahoo!, check your Spam or Updates folder.
- You can also request another email by tapping Resend code. [5]
Community Q&A
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QuestionHow can I contact Yahoo to reset my security questions?Community AnswerYahoo help indicates security questions are no longer used. They suggest setting up your email address and phone number. If you are locked out, they will send a code to your phone device, and an email to help unlock your account.
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QuestionI forgot my password, phone number, and security questions. How do I get my account back?Community AnswerYou can try entering a recovery email address or phone number into the form at https://login.yahoo.com/forgot? to see if you can recover your account. If this website doesn't work, you will not be able to recover the account.
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QuestionUnder Account Info, I don't have a section that shows security questions, it looks like it may have been removed. How can I get these back?Community AnswerSecurity questions used to be used to protect your Yahoo! account, but have been phased out in favor of recovery phone numbers and email addresses. Because of this change, you can no longer view or reset your security questions. To protect your account, you'll need to enter a phone number or recovery email address.
Tips
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Check out our article on resetting or changing a Yahoo! password if you forgot it.Thanks
Video
References
- ↑ https://help.yahoo.com/kb/account/SLN27925.html?impressions=true
- ↑ https://help.yahoo.com/kb/fix-problems-signing-yahoo-account-sln2051.html
- ↑ https://help.yahoo.com/kb/SLN4842.html
- ↑ https://help.yahoo.com/kb/fix-problems-signing-yahoo-account-sln2051.html
- ↑ https://help.yahoo.com/kb/add-email-address-phone-number-sln2058.html