How to Use the Password in Skype

To create an account on Skype you will need to select a password between six and 20 characters in length. To protect your information it is important that you select a strong password that cannot be easily guessed. Even a mediocre hacking program can guess a six-character, lowercase password in only a few minutes. To hack a 20-character password using uppercase and lowercase letters, the best software program would require would require 631 billion years to hack. You can change your password at any time from the Skype application or from the Skype website after logging into your account.

Instructions

Selecting a Password

1. Open a Web browser and navigate to the Skype home page. Click the "Join Skype" button. Enter the information requested including your name, e-mail address, profile information and username.

2. Select a password from six to 20 characters long. Your password must contain at least one number and one letter. Make the password something only you would know.

3. Use all 20 available characters whenever possible. To make a password extremely hard to guess, open a book at a random and select the first letters of a sentence, making verbs and nouns capital letters, and substituting some letters with numbers and characters at the top of your keyboard. This will give you something like "b2muaSt%e2Rbi2G!tUtI" as an example.

4. Open the Skype application. After you enter your Skype name, type the password into the "Password" field. Be wary of clicking the "Remember Password" check box. Never use this option if others share your computer, or if your computer is left unattended and is not password protected from unauthorized users.

5. Record your password somewhere you are not likely to lose it, like in your paper address book under "S" for "Skype." (Little scraps of paper are a popular but unreliable password-storage choice.) You will need this password if your computer crashes, for example, as well as to log into the Skype website to manage your account. You also need to type your old password before you can change it to a new one.

Changing a Password on the Web Site

1. Change your password immediately if you suspect it has been guessed or hacked. Open a Web browser and navigate to the Skype home page. Sign in with your Skype username and current password. Click "Sign Me In."

2. Click "Account," then click the "Change Your Password" link at the bottom of the page.

3. Type your current password in the "Old Password" field. Type your new password in the "New Password" field and retype it in the "New Password Again" field. Click "Save Settings."

4. Launch Skype. It will inform you that your password has changed. Enter your Skype username and type your new password in the provided text fields. Click "Remember password" only if you do not share your computer with others. Click "Sign In."

Changing a Password in Skype

1. Launch Skype and log in with your username and password.

2. Click the "Account" menu, then click "Change Password."

3. Type your current password in the "Old Password" field. Type your new password in the "New Password" and "Confirm New Password" fields. Click "Save."

Retrieving a Forgotten Password

1. Navigate to the Skype home page in a web browser. Click the "Forgotten Your Password?" link.

2. Enter the e-mail address you used to create your account and click "Get Password." Skype will e-mail you a code with a link to reset your password.

3. Click the "Forgotten Email" link if you have forgotten which e-mail address you used to set up Skype. Enter your Skype username. Enter your first and last names in the provided fields. Select your country from the drop-down menu. Select either to enter a recent order number or credit card details then follow the instructions on the screen.

References

• Lockdown: Password Recovery Speeds
• Skype: Skype Security: Passwords
• Skype: How to Start Skype