Email security checklist: your mail.com account settings

The personal data associated with your mail.com account can be found under My Account. This is where you go to enter a mobile phone number so you can quickly recover your password, or change your password if you think the old one is no longer secure. But there are a few more things you can do to boost your email security. Let’s take a look – we promise, it will only take a few minutes, and it could save you a lot of trouble down the road.

Where do I find My Account?

Go to your computer internet browser and log into your mail.com inbox. You’ll find My Account on the navigation menu on the left side of the Home page. Just click the button to go to your options.

Making sure your data are up to date

Click on Personal Data to see the information you entered when you signed up for your mail.com account, like your name, date of birth and address.  You can edit the information here at any time. You’ll be asked to enter your password to save any changes you make.Make sure that the information you save here is correct – this is not the time for a old address or a fake date of birth. This is because if our customer support ever needs to verify your identity in order to assist you, they may ask for your date of birth or postal code. And let’s face it, fake information is harder to remember.

Managing your security options

There are a few more things you can do to make your account more secure. The next step here, logically enough, is to click on Security Options in the menu and look at the following items:

1. Password

Is your account protected by a secure password? Password experts currently recommend a password length of 12 characters or more that contains a mix of letters, numbers and special characters. The good news is that strong passwords don’t have to be changed that often. However, if you think your account has been hacked you should change your password immediately.

2. Email contact address

Have you saved an email contact address? This should be the address of a different email account, not your mail.com address. This is in case you forget your mail.com password and can’t get into your account – using this alternative address, you can reset the password yourself and won’t have to contact customer service.

3. Contact phone number

We also recommend that you save your mobile phone number here. In addition to the contact email address you’ve provided, this is the most effective way to recover a forgotten password. Without having to log in, you can request that a text message with a recovery code is sent to your phone. You can  then easily reset your password yourself. If you haven’t provided us with your email or cell phone contact information, the password recovery process may be more difficult and time consuming.

4. Are your saved logins safe?

Saving your login to the mail.com mobile app or the MailCheck browser add-on is convenient and keeps you from having to remember and type in your password every time. But if you suspect someone else has had access to your devices – or worst case, if your phone has been lost or stolen – make sure to change your passwords immediately. This is the best way to protect yourself from data theft.

5. Two-factor authentication (2FA)

Are you interested in setting up an additional layer of protection for your email account? If you enable 2FA, whenever you log in to your account you’ll be asked not only for your password but also for a 6-digit one-time password (OTP), which you generate on your smartphone using an authentication app. This means that even if someone else gets their hands on your password, they can’t access your account without this verification code. You can enable 2FA under My Account > Security Options > Activate two-factor authentication.
 

Check your security settings today!

It only takes a few minutes to make sure that your email account is protected, and you’ll have the peace of mind of knowing that you have taken all the necessary steps. And thanks to the secure technology of mail.com, you can also rest assured that your data is in safe hands.

So why put it off any longer? Log in now and make sure all your security information and settings are up to date. And if you found this article helpful, please like it below.

Images: 1&1/GettyImages

This article originally appeared on May 12, 2021 and was updated on June 8, 2022.