How To Reset a Forgotten Instagram Password in 2025

How to Find That Forgotten Password on Your Smartphone — Tried and Tested

Honestly, this was one of those late-night quests that took way longer than it should have. If you’re like me, you probably store passwords on your Android device or Chrome’s password manager, but then at some point, you forget what you used for that tricky Instagram login or the work email. It’s frustrating—because Google keeps it all tucked away somewhere, hidden behind menus that aren’t exactly straightforward. Here’s what finally worked after banging around in settings and feeling like I was chasing my tail.

Digging into Settings to Spot Your Passwords

The first hurdle: finding where your device hid the passwords in the first place. It’s not always in the obvious spot like “Passwords” or “Auto-fill.” Usually, I went into Settings and looked for Google—not just your Google account details, but the full menu that manages your linked services. Sometimes it’s under Accounts & Backup, or maybe directly in Google > Manage your Google Account. The names can vary depending on the phone brand and Android version, so a little poking around is normal.

Once you’re in the right area, the goal is to locate the Security section—this is where the Google account puts your passwords, because they’re serious security stuff. If you’re on an older device, it might be labeled differently or buried deeper. Usually, it’s a menu item like Settings > Google > Manage your Google Account > Security. I had to scroll a bit, especially on Samsung or Huawei devices, but eventually I found a section called Signing in to other sites or Passwords.

Getting into Your Password Manager and Actually Viewing Passwords

This part is the core: accessing the password storage. If you’re using Google Passwords (and most Androids do), you can typically go to Settings > Passwords & Accounts. Alternatively, you can jump into Chrome’s settings and head to chrome://settings/passwords. Once there, you’ll see a list of saved passwords—like your Facebook, Gmail, or Amazon logins.

Here’s where the real “aha” moment hit me—I could actually tap on the saved password entry, and then click Show Password. But—and here’s the important part—you usually need to verify your identity first, using either your PIN, fingerprint, or face recognition. That step isn’t optional, and honestly, it’s a good security thing. It kept me from accidentally exposing my passwords to anyone looking over my shoulder, but it’s definitely an extra step when you’re trying to just quickly recover one.

Revealing, Copying, and Managing Your Passwords

Once you’ve verified yourself, your password should pop up in plain text. Sometimes the device says, “This password is stored for your account,” and you can copy it directly to your clipboard. I’d recommend doing that, but be careful—it’s easy to leave it on your screen or paste it into an unsecure note if you’re not paying attention. Also, some devices or Android versions might be stingy about showing passwords—maybe because they’re not saved, or the feature is disabled for security reasons. On older setups, I found some options just don’t show passwords at all, which is super frustrating.

If you can’t see the password, try checking if your device’s password saving service is working correctly. Sometimes updates or resets mess with saved passwords, or maybe your password wasn’t stored in the first place. It’s worth double-checking whether autofill is enabled for the relevant account or app. Also, be aware that some password managers or apps may not sync properly or could be blocked by security policies, especially on work devices.

Additional Tips & Common Pitfalls

If it’s not there, don’t forget that some apps don’t save passwords automatically, especially if you enter them manually every time. Or maybe you used a different browser or password manager, not Google’s. Also, older Android versions like Marshmallow or Nougat might not provide the same easy access, and on iOS, you’d have to go through Safari’s Keychain or use the Passwords section in Settings.

Another thing: if you recently changed your password or cleared cache, the saved password might be gone. In such cases, the fallback is to reset your password on the site or app itself—which is a pain, but sometimes necessary. Just keep in mind that if you do reset your password, you’ll need to update it everywhere else you used it for autofill or login info.

While navigating these menus, I sometimes felt like I was in a treasure hunt. Some options are grayed out or missing if your device or Google account isn’t linked properly, or if your device has strict security settings. I also recommend updating your phone’s software—sometimes these features just don’t show up on outdated firmware, and a quick update can make everything easier.

Just a word of caution—handling your passwords like this means you should be cautious. Don’t leave your screen unlocked or let someone else peek over your shoulder. Privacy first, always. Hope this helped — it took me way too long to figure this out, but now I know where to look.

Anyway, hope this saves someone else a weekend of frustration. Double-check your account settings, verify your identity when prompted, and keep your device updated. Good luck!