How to Take Back Control of Your Hacked Email Account

You suddenly get a message from a friend saying your email sent them spam. Or you see an alert that your password has changed. A hacked email is terrifying, and knowing what to do next can be hard.

Don’t panic. Acting fast is key. We see this problem often. This guide will help you lock the hackers out and secure your account again.

We will show you how to quickly take back control, check what damage was done, and protect your email for good.

Step 1: Lock the Hacker Out Immediately

Your first priority is to lock the intruder out of your account as quickly as possible. The following two steps are the most critical. You should do them within minutes of suspecting a problem.

Change Your Hacked Email ID Password (Use a Safe Device!)

If you can still log in to your email, the very first thing you must do is change your your password. Go to your account’s security settings page and create a new, strong password.

Important: If you think your computer might have a virus, it is best to change your password using a different, trusted device, like your phone. Using your phone stops the hacker from just stealing your new password too. Creating truly strong passwords is vital for all your online accounts.

Sign Out of All Other Devices

After you have changed your password, you need to force the hacker’s computer to log out. In your email account’s security settings, look for an option that says “Sign out everywhere” or “Sign out of all other web sessions.” Both Gmail and Outlook have this feature. Clicking this will immediately kick the hacker out. They will not be able to get back in with the old password.

Step 2: See What the Hacker Did (And Fix It)

Once you have reclaimed control of your email account, your next step is to investigate what the hacker was trying to do. This will help you understand how much damage they caused and make sure they haven’t left any backdoor entry points.

Check Your Recent Account Activity

Go to your email account’s security section and find the “Recent activity” or “Sign-in activity” page. This will show you a list of all recent logins, including their locations and the types of devices used. Look carefully for any suspicious entries that you do not recognise.

Look for Hidden Rules and Email Forwarding

This is a critical step many people miss. Hackers often create hidden rules to control your email without you knowing. They might set up a rule to:

• Automatically forward a copy of all your incoming emails to their own address.
• Send important messages, like password reset links, straight to your bin folder.

Carefully check the “Rules,” “Filters,” and “Forwarding” sections in your email settings. Delete anything that you did not create yourself.

Review Sent Emails and Recovery Details

• Double-check recovery details: Go back to your security settings and make sure your recovery phone number and recovery email address have not been changed to the hacker’s details. These are often used for gaining future access.

• Check your “Sent” folder: Look for any emails the hacker may have sent from your account. This gives you an idea of what they were trying to achieve (e.g., sending spam or phishing messages to your contacts).

Step 3: Secure Your Account for Good (Beyond Passwords)

Now that you have cleaned up your account, it is time to add extra layers of security. This will make sure a hack does not happen again.

Enable Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)

This is the single best defence you can add to protect your email. Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA), sometimes called two-factor authentication (2FA), means that to log in, you will need both your password and a second code. This code is usually sent to your phone or generated by an app.

This makes your account extremely secure. Even if a hacker steals your password, they cannot get in without also having that second code from your phone. The Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) strongly advises using MFA. They state that it stops over 99.9% of automated attacks.

This powerful security method is also evolving. Passkeys are the newest way to log in safely, offering even stronger protection than passwords alone.

Use a Password Manager

Creating a truly strong, unique password for every account is important, but remembering them all is impossible. A password manager is the solution.

• What it does: It creates strong, unique passwords for all your online accounts and stores them securely behind one master password.
• Why it helps: You only need to remember one master password. The manager fills in all your other complex passwords automatically.

For protecting all your other crucial login details, our guide on the best password managers in 2025 has all the advice you need.

Review Connected Apps

Over the years, we often give other apps and websites permission to access our email accounts. It is a good idea to review these connections regularly. Go to the security section of your email account and find the list of “Connected apps” or “Apps with access to your account.” Remove access for any services that you no longer use or do not trust.

Step 4: Scan Your Computer (The Last Crucial Step)

After securing your email account, there is one last critical step: you must scan your computer for viruses.

Why You Must Scan Your Computer

You need to ask a very important question: how did the hacker get my password in the first place? Often, the answer is a virus or malicious software (malware) on your computer that was stealing your login details. If you do not find and remove this infection, the hacker will simply be able to steal your new password just as easily.

It is essential to run a full and thorough scan using a reputable antivirus programme to make sure your computer is completely clean. If you suspect your entire computer is compromised beyond just your email, our guide ‘I Think I’ve Been Hacked! What to Do Right Now‘ offers broader steps for device security.

When to Call for Expert Help

Dealing with an email hack is incredibly stressful. Self-help steps are a good start, but some computer problems are too complex or dangerous to fix yourself.

You might feel overwhelmed, or you could be unsure if your PC is truly clean after running a scan.

Our team at Computer Expert Adelaide specialises in getting your digital life back on track. We offer:

• Comprehensive Virus and Malware Removal: We clean deep to remove stubborn virus and ensure your system is completely clear.
• Data Recovery: If you have lost access to files, we work to recover your precious documents and photos.
• Security Setup: We help set up robust security measures to protect you from future attacks.

Don’t face a hack alone. Give us a call today for urgent assistance and expert digital defence.