Change your AIM password without AIM
Like half the world, I’ve got an AOL Instant Messenger account, but I never use AIM to access it, because I don’t want AIM to crude up my computer with icons and ads and DLLs.
So I use the ad-free, open source, and featureful GAIM instant messaging client (now called Pidgin), partly because I like knowing that I’m chatting privately with OTR encryption.
But I’ve been wanting to change my password. And my contact email address while I’m at it. After a little Googling, I discover that all of AOL’s online help docs seem to imply that this can only be done through the AIM client. Err.
So I go through the trouble of downloading and installing AIM, select My AIM > Edit Options > Change Password, and what does it do? It launches Firefox and takes me to a freaking website! Why couldn’t they just have pointed me there in the first place?!
So in case anyone on the intarweb ever wants to change their AIM password or contact email, here’s the URL of the website in order to do so: https://my.screenname.aol.com/
Update: to all the people who’ve left comments saying you don’t have access to/don’t remember the email address associated with your account, you don’t remember the password associated with your account, and you don’t remember the answer to the security question, you are “up shit creek without a paddle” so to speak. Because at this point there is no way you can validate that the screen name you’re claiming is yours is actually yours. Your best bet? Create a new account. They’re free.
It looks like OTR is only compiled for Linux…do you know of any Windoze compiled version?
Sauj, if you scroll further down on the OTR page a little, you’ll see the Windows versions under OTR plugin for gaim.
Just a thought, but does anyone else see this as another step in making the internet the next operating system?
how do i change my aol password?
breanne, goto my.screenname.aol.com, sign in, and click the edit button next to where it says:
for one: ur mad stupid…GAIM is used for linux for the start, but i do believe theres a windows version
Hmm, is “mad stupid” good or bad? It sounds kind of bad to me.
Nevertheless, as you readily admit Mike, GAIM is indeed available for several flavors of Linux and Windows. I just happen to use it on Windows.
You are a freakin goddess…I have been sitting at my computer for 2 hours trying to figure that out…I am computer illiterate…and you just saved me so much frustration…Thnx a million!!
Thanks a lot for the link also ;-)
OTR is available for Miranda-IM too.
hey thanx cause i really needed to change my password cause my friends were getting on it and u helped me!!! yay!! lol if u ever want to talk my sn is cal blondie xox
-tara
I hate AOL, but I use their chat… ughhh. I can’t believe they make it so hard to change a password. That is not a security issue, is a usability issue. I needed to chage my password too and they make me download the AIM…. NOT!. Thaks for the tip!
Good stuff man. I also use GAIM and hate having to launch the ad-infested AIM client.
Thank you so much! I’ve been trying to figure out how to change my password all day because I use trillian and never downloaded (and never want to download) anything from AOL. You’re a lifesaver!
Thank you from an AdiumX user!
Thank You!!! I’ve been trying to change my aim password forever!
i figured out how to change your password without having to know ur security question for AIM. Download AIM 4.7 and log on. Then, go to My AIM, Edit Option Change Password. and u can actually change it right there because a window pops up saying old password..new password and u just fill in the info!
As long as you log in through the link you posted, and then click ‘change security question’, it will let you change it. Log back in through the link, enter your NEW security question, and it will allow you to change your password.
Thanks so much! I use Pidgin and was having a helluva time figuring out how to change my password without actually downloading AIM. This was extremely helpful!
OMG!!!! Melanie i love you omg lyk ive been trying to change my password fooooooooooorrrrr eeeevvvvvvver cuz some stupid person keeps going on my sn and wont leave me alone man but i couldnt remember the answer to my security question but your thing on downloading aim 4.7 totally helped. YEAY YEAYY YEAYYY :D!!!!!!!! DUDE YOUR TOTALLY AWSOME – THANK YOU SOOOOOO SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO MUCH!!!!!!!
Where can you download AIM 4.7 i cant seem to find it?
oldapps.com
thank you i’ve been trying to change my password 4 ever
Melanie, you are a saint! I followed your advice, installed aim4.7 and yes it worked!! Thank you soo much!!! I couldn’t change passwd in aim mail since I forgot bdate/zipcode what I used to sign up like 10yrs ago?!?! Obviously I didn”t use the correct info then, but changed the passwd in aim47 and logged into my aim mail using new password only. I even checked old password and it was not accepted. This is a great day!!!!!!!
Thank you SO MUCH melanie. I have my account, password, and associated e-mail, but I always made security questions impossible (since I remember my passwords) so I couldn’t get in, and the “Forgot Your Security Question” thing just backs up to the username/password input. Now I have my new password. :-)
dude downloading 4.7 helped so much thanks man .aim was realy pissing me offf.thaks again
I recently changed my password to the same account that I have had for over 10 years. I updated my email address and created a security question. Two days later, I can’t log in. I can only assume I misentered my password. When I click forget password like everyone else, I have no idea what zip code I used when I created this account, but tried everyone I could think of. The only piece of information I am missing is the zipcode, I know email address and security question. Why can’t it be emailed to me? Even if this is impossible I now have an even bigger problem. This account automatically forwards all im’s to my cell phone when offline – I now have no way of turning this off for the rest of my life. This is a huge privacy problem there has to be a solution.
hey
saved me so much time! originally I use Pidgin too, but recently had to log in using Meebo. agrre with the previous comment: this is really helpful!
Thank you so much for posting this! I use Meebo and did not want to download AIM just to change my password.