How to Check if Your Password Was Leaked

 

Overview

If you have ever reused a password or clicked a link you were not sure about, this guide is for you. Stolen passwords are one of the most common ways accounts are hijacked. The good news is that you can check for leaks safely and fix problems fast. Use this step‑by‑step playbook, share it with your team and friends, and save the checklist at the end.

Why these matters

• Attackers trade leaked passwords so they can log into your accounts without hacking anything.
• One reused password can unlock your email, banking, shopping, and work apps.
• Breach databases are vast and growing. Not checking is like never checking your smoke alarm.

What a leak really means

• Data breach: A company’s systems were accessed and user data was taken.
• Password leak: Your password or its scrambled form was exposed in that data.
• Paste or dump: The stolen data was published in bulk on forums or sites.
• Credential stuffing: Attackers try leaked email and password pairs on other sites, hoping you reused them.

Important safety rule

Never type your current, active password into random websites. Stick to trusted tools that check by email or use privacy‑preserving methods. When in doubt, change the password instead of checking it.

How to check safely today

Use more than one method. No single tool sees everything.

Check your email in a trusted breach database

• Go to haveibeenpwned.com
• Enter your email address and review the results
• Click the Notify Me link to get alerts for future breaches
• If you own a domain, set up domain monitoring so you get alerts for your entire team after verifying ownership

What to look for

• List of breached sites that include your email
• Whether passwords were exposed in plain text or hashed
• Dates of the breaches to understand how recent the exposure is

Use your password manager or browsers built‑in checker

These tools compare your saved logins against known breaches and flag reused or weak passwords.

Google Password Manager

• Visit g.co/passwords or open Chrome settings
• Run Check passwords
• Follow the prompts to update compromised logins

Apple iCloud Keychain

• On iPhone or iPad: Settings > Passwords > Security Recommendations
• On Mac: System Settings > Passwords > Security Recommendations
• Update any marked as Compromised, Reused, or Weak

Microsoft Edge Password Monitor

• Open Edge settings > Profiles > Passwords
• Run the password health check and update flagged items

Third‑party password managers

• 1Password: Use Watchtower for breach and reuse alerts
• Bitwarden: Use Data Breach Report and Vault Health Reports
• Dash lane and others: Run their security dashboard and dark web monitoring

Turn on breach alerts where you already have accounts

• Google: Run Security Checkup and enable alerts for critical activity
• Apple ID: Review trusted devices and notifications under Password and Security
• Microsoft Account: Check Recent activity, sign‑in alerts, and security notifications
• Major apps like Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and PayPal offer login alerts and security reviews in their settings

Optional and advanced

• Have I Been Pawned Passwords uses a privacy method called k‑anonymity to check whether a password appears in known breaches without sending the full password. If you use this, only check old or test passwords, or let your password manager do it for you automatically.

If you find your email or password is in a leak
Move quickly. Focus on your most important accounts first.

Change the password immediately

• Start with your email, bank, cloud storage, and any account used for money or identity
• Make each password unique and strong. Use a passphrase of 4 or more unrelated words plus a number or symbol. Example format only: planet-ladder-taxi-rain-47. Do not reuse the example

Turn on two‑factor authentication or passkeys

• Prefer an authenticator app or passkeys over SMS codes where possible
• For passkeys, add them in the Security or Sign‑In settings of Google, Apple, Microsoft, and other major services

Sign out of other sessions and revoke access

• Log out of all devices and sessions for the affected service
• Revoke app passwords and remove third‑party connections you do not recognize

Reset security questions

• Treat them like passwords. Use long random answers stored in your password manager, not real biographical details

Check your email rules and recovery options

• Look for any forwarding rules you did not create
• Confirm your recovery email and phone number are yours

Watch for follow‑up scams

• After breaches, phishing spikes. Be skeptical of urgent emails or texts about payments, logins, or account verification

If sensitive identity data was exposed

• For US readers, place a free credit freeze with each major bureau and set up free fraud alerts
• Monitor statements for unauthorized activity and dispute immediately

If you did not find anything

• That is good news, but it does not prove your data is safe. Many leaks are private or undiscovered.
• Use this moment to improve your defenses so the next breach does not hurt you.

Build habits that make leaks harmless

• Use a password manager for every account
• One account, one password. No reuse
• Prefer passkeys or an authenticator app for important accounts
• Update old passwords, starting with email, bank, and cloud storage
• Keep software and browsers up to date to patch known flaws
• Use email aliases or plus addressing for new signups to trace where spam comes from
• Regularly run the built‑in security checkups mentioned above

Myths and plain‑language answers

• I changed that password last year. Am I safe now?
• Safer, yes. But if you reused it elsewhere, those accounts may still be at risk. Change it everywhere it was reused.
• A site says my password was found in a breach, but I never used that site.
• The password itself appears in some breach, not necessarily from that site. Change it and avoid reuse.
• Should I paste my password into a random leak checker?
• No. Use your password manager’s checker or trusted services that use privacy‑preserving methods or simply change it.

A 20‑minute action plan you can do today

1. Run your email through haveibeenpwned.com and enable notifications
2. Run security checkups in Google, Apple, or Microsoft, plus your browser’s password checker
3. Turn on two‑factor authentication or passkeys for your top five accounts
4. Change any reused or compromised passwords flagged by your checkers
5. Review and remove suspicious sessions, forwarding rules, and third‑party app access
6. Save this checklist and schedule a quarterly 10‑minute password health check

For leaders and small teams

• Verify your domain with Have I Been Pwned to receive breach alerts for your staff
• Require a password manager and two‑factor authentication for company accounts
• Enforce unique passwords and minimum length with a clear policy
• Train staff to spot phishing and report it quickly

Quick recap

• Do not paste active passwords into random sites
• Check your email in Have I Been Pawned and enable alerts
• Use your browser or password manager’s security checkup
• If exposed, change the password, enable two‑factor or passkeys, and revoke access
• Make every password unique going forward

Share this with someone who reuses passwords. If this helped you, consider subscribing to the newsletter and leaving a comment with questions you want covered next. Your support helps more people stay safe online.

Sources and further learning

• Have I Been Pwned by Troy Hunt
• Official security checkups from Google, Apple, Microsoft, and your password manager’s help center
• Consumer protection resources from your local regulator on credit freezes and identity monitoring

Savable checklist

• Check email on haveibeenpwned.com and enable alerts
• Run Google or Apple or Microsoft security checkups
• Run your browser or password manager’s password health check
• Change compromised and reused passwords
• Turn on two‑factor authentication or passkeys
• Sign out everywhere and revoke suspicious app access
• Reset security questions with random answers
• Check email forwarding rules and recovery options
• Freeze credit if identity data was exposed
• Set a quarterly reminder to repeat these checks