If you are receiving a warning that your password has appeared in a data breach from another site and is no longer secure, you will need to change your password to a stronger one before you can log back in.
If you are still logged in on any device, please make sure your email address is up to date before logging out or resetting your password, or you may lose access to your account.
Check below the cut for information on how to check or update your email address, and how to change or reset your password.
Posted: 20:45 UTC 31 July, 2026
Please follow these steps to check and update your email address. If you don't know your password, or if your password is insecure, you will need to reset your password – which requires you to have access to your account's email address.
How do I check what my account’s email address is?
If you are logged in:
Go to your Preferences page (Select "Hi, [USERNAME]!" at the top of the page, and choose "My Preferences" from the drop-down list)
Click on the “Change Email” button at the top of the page
Your email address will be listed on that page, next to “Current email”
If you are not logged in:
Check your email account for recent emails from AO3, such as subscription notifications or kudos and comment emails.
Look at the “To:” field to see what email address is associated with your account.
You will need to enter this email address exactly as it is listed here in order to receive a password reset email.
How do I change my email address? What if I don't have access to my old email address?
You don't need access to your old email address to change it to a new one, as long as you also know your current password.
Log in
Go to your Preferences page (Select "Hi, [USERNAME]!" at the top of the page, and choose "My Preferences" from the drop-down list)
Click on the “Change Email” button at the top of the page
In both the “New email” and “Enter new email again” fields, enter an email address that you have access to
In the “Password” field, enter your current password
Click the “Confirm Email” button
On the next page, make sure that the banner displays the correct new email address
Click the "Yes, Confirm Email" button
Check your new email address for an email titled “[AO3] Confirm your email change”
Click on the confirmation link in that email, making sure to open it in a browser where you are already logged in
Go to the “Change Email” page and double-check that your “Current email” has been successfully updated.
If you still see the banner saying your email change is pending, the most likely reason for this is that you were logged out before you clicked the confirmation link. Make sure to log in to your account before following the email confirmation link, or open the link in a browser where you are already logged in.
I know my current password, but I'm afraid my password is insecure. How can I change my password to a stronger one?
First, refer to the above instructions for checking or updating your email address, so that you can receive a password reset in case your password is insecure. Then:
Log in
Go to your Preferences page (Select "Hi, [USERNAME]!" at the top of the page, and choose "My Preferences" from the drop-down list)
Click on the “Change Password” button at the top of the page
Enter your current password into the “Old password” field
Enter your new password into both the “New password” and “Confirm new password” fields
Click the “Change Password” button
You will be automatically logged out on all devices.
If, upon logging in, you receive a message saying your password is insecure, then the new password you chose was insecure and you can't use it to log back in. You will need to reset your password (refer to the below instructions) and select a more secure password this time. You can use a password generator to choose a stronger password.
I don't know my current password/my password is insecure, but I know and have access to my account's email address.
In a private/incognito browser, go to the Reset Password page: https://archiveofourown.org/users/password/new (also available by clicking the “Forgot Password?” link on the login form)
Enter the email address associated with your AO3 account
Check your email for the password reset email
Click the “use this link to choose a new password” link in the email
Enter a new, secure password
You will be automatically logged in on this device, and automatically logged out on all other devices.
If you continue to receive the message that your password is insecure, then the new password you chose was also insecure. You will need to reset your password again and select a more secure password this time. You can use a password generator to choose a stronger password.
I tried resetting my password, but it didn't work. Help?
The most likely reasons the password reset didn't work are:
You are entering the wrong email address for your AO3 account. Refer to the above instructions on how to check what your account's email address is.
Your email provider is blocking emails from AO3 or sending them to spam/social folders. Search for an email titled “[AO3] Reset your password”.
Your email account doesn't have enough storage and can't receive new emails. You'll need to delete old emails, photos, or videos to empty your storage before requesting a password reset.
You requested multiple password resets in a short time period, resulting in either a “Retry later” page or the link in the first password reset email becoming invalid. Please wait at least one hour before trying again, only submit the form once, and make sure you are using the link in the most recent password reset email.
The new password you chose was insecure, so you can't use it to log back in. You will need to reset your password again and select a more secure password this time. You can use a password generator to choose a stronger password.
I don't know my password/my password is insecure, and I don't know or have access to my account's email address.
You will need to submit a Support ticket containing the following information:
your username
your account’s current email address (if you know it)
an email address that you can access and would like to update your account's email to (enter this email into the Email field so we can contact you)
Support will begin the account recovery process with you, which will ask you for further proof of account ownership. Please be patient, as there are many AO3 users who are also submitting account recovery tickets right now.
We have temporarily lifted the block preventing users from logging in to AO3 with an insecure password. If you have been receiving this message recently, please immediately do the following:
Log in to your account using your compromised password.
Verify that the email on your account is one that you have access to and that it is up to date.
a. To do this, go to your Preferences page and select "Change Email" at the top of the page. Your email address will be listed on that page, next to "Current email".
b. If you don't have access to this email account, update your email before you change your password. You don't need access to your old email address to change it to a new one, as long as you also know your current password.
c. If you do have access to this email account, copy-paste the email address so that you can correctly enter it into the password reset form. If you do not enter your email address exactly as it is listed here, you will not receive the password reset email.
Change your password to a unique, strong password by following the steps in our Archive FAQ: How do I change my password?
a. We strongly recommend that you use a password generator to select a new password. Most browsers and devices have a built-in password generator, or you can use this one: 1Password's Password Generator.
b. Use a password manager to set and remember your passwords for you. If you don't want to install third-party software, you can use the password manager provided by your browser or device.
If you are still unable to access your account, you will need to work with Support to complete the account recovery process described in the previous post. Please provide them with your username and the name of the email account you have lost access to. You must wait at least a week so that Support can check that the original email address is truly inactive, and provide multiple forms of evidence that the account is truly yours. The account recovery process will not proceed if you are unable to provide sufficient proof that you are the owner of the account.
Buckle up for another unhinged story time. Now, as I’ve said before, I used to work at a sex shop. At one point I had three roommates and we all worked the same dildo slinging retail job and lived together. It was extremely sitcom.
Now, as you’d imagine, living with three other people who also talked about sex toys all day created a microcosm of people who were all extremely comfortable around sex toys and related topics. No one left dirty toys laying around but seeing things left in showers or showing off a new purchase was just a Tuesday.
After some life upheavals I ended up living with one of those roommates again, just me and her. For the sake of this story let’s call her Betty. Betty and I shared a two bedroom, and the layout was all the common spaces were an open floor plan and then one hallway formed a T, with my room and bathroom to the left and Betty’s to the right.
Well, one day my cousin calls me up. He’s coming to town for a visit and I offer to put up him, his wife, and their more… sheltered friend. (Unbeknownst to me there was a full Briefing for this girl before she met me so that I didn’t overwhelm her with my blasé attitudes towards- well, most things).
They drove in from two states over and it was a long drive. I had to work and couldn’t greet them or spend the first day together. So I told them to come grab my key so they could all shower off and settle in before me.
I arrived home later that night and found the atmosphere a little awkward at first. Things quickly warmed up and I charmed their friend, impressing my cousin with my immaculate respect for personal comfort levels. We had a lovely evening. By the time we all said goodnight I’d dismissed the initial tension as being tired after a long drive.
The next day we all decided to go to the zoo. I’m a morning shower person, but I let them go first while I made breakfast. After breakfast it was my turn and I hopped in the shower.
Midway through my eyes fixed on it. A little pink sex toy, sitting brazenly on the rim of the tub. Oh no, I thought. This was why things had been awkward yesterday! I left out a personal object because I’d literally forgotten to ever put them away by that point.
What I felt wasn’t embarrassment per se, because that emotion had been utterly eradicated by that point. Rather it was a deep shame that I’d leave out something that might make a guest feel uncomfortable. They told me their friend was sheltered and I had left out a sex toy, it was the epitome of rudeness!
I rejoined everyone and said, “I am so sorry! I didn’t realize I’d left that in the shower, that was so rude of me!”
My guests all exchanged a Look. I looked from my cousin to his wife, she glanced toward their friend, and their friend looked at my cousin. No one would look at me.
“Well…” my cousin finally said, “you didn’t tell us which room was yours yesterday.”
I blinked in confusion, Betty’s room and bathroom were basically just like mine.
“When we got here,” his wife continued, “we went to the other side first. In Betty’s bathroom.”
Reader, Betty’s bathroom.
Had been absolutely covered in dildos. Sex toys of all shapes and sizes covered every flat surface, the tub rim, the sink, the shelves. Wall to wall sex toys. Apparently Betty was doing a spring cleaning and had left her entire extensive collection out to air dry.
These three weary travelers had opened a door to the dildo dimension and had no idea how to react. To this day I have no idea what context clues they used to figure out Betty’s room from mine.
But when I’d come home they were lost in the sex toy shell shock, presumably wondering how they could ever talk about it with someone who felt it was okay to leave out every sex toy they own when expecting company in some kind of bizarre power play.
By the time they finished telling me about this we were all laughing so hard we were in tears.
“When we saw your bathroom with one little pink toy it was so discreet we didn’t even care!” They told me.
After my cousin and his crew had gone on their way I finally told Betty the whole story. She listened with eyes growing wider and wider and finally burst out, “That’s why they were so weird when I got home!!”
I’m not celebrating VALENTINES day, I’m celebrating VILLAINTINES day. I’m doing nefarious deeds. scheming and plotting. singing my dramatic solo number surrounded by green and purple mists. while you’re on your little date, I’m putting my diabolical plans in motion. oh, you’re proposing? I’m stealing The Diadem
⚡⚡⚡ The TV-Junkie ⚡⚡⚡ @thetv-junkie - Tumblr Blog | Tumgag
