How Do I Restore My PayPal Account?

Introduction

PayPal makes it easy for customers to send and receive money securely. The online payment company also makes it easy for businesses and individuals to manage their accounts online. But what happens if you can't access your PayPal account?

Whether you've forgotten your password or email address, follow this guide to restore your PayPal account.

Go to the PayPal website

Open a browser window, type www.paypal.com into the address bar, and tap Enter or Return to open the PayPal website.

Open the login page

Once on the PayPal homepage, click Log in located in the top-right corner.

Enter your email address or phone number

The next step depends on whether you have forgotten the password or the email address and phone number.

If you remember the email address or mobile phone number associated with your PayPal account, enter it in the text box and click Next. Move on to the next step.

If you're unable to access your account because you have forgotten the email and phone number, click Forgot email? and go to the final step of this guide.

Click Forgot password?

To recover your account if you don't remember your password, click Forgot password?

Re-enter your email address and tap Next

Depending on your browser, the text box on the password recovery page may already contain your email address. If not, enter your email or username into the box. Click Next.

Choose how to verify your account

For security purposes, PayPal needs to verify that the account is yours before resetting your password. Choose how to continue from the following options:Answer the security questions you previously set up for your accountUse the PayPal appReceive an SMS or WhatsApp message to your registered phone numberReceive an email
After choosing an option, click Next.

Follow the on-screen instructions

You must now follow the on-screen instructions for your chosen method. This may include answering questions such as "What was the name of your first school?" or "Where did you meet your spouse?", or checking your SMS, WhatsApp, or email inbox for a message from PayPal and clicking a link.

Create a new Password

Once PayPal has verified your account, it will ask you to create a new password. Consider using a mix of small letters, uppercase letters, numbers, and special characters for added security. And, keep a note of the new password somewhere safe to avoid getting locked out of your account in the future.

Restore your PayPal account if you have forgotten the email address

This last step is for PayPal customers who have forgotten their email address and previously clicked Forgot email? to open the email recovery page.

You can now enter up to 3 email addresses that you think may be linked to your PayPal account. Think about the addresses you use most for other accounts or an old work email.

Type a possible address into the text box and click Next. PayPal will check this against its registered email addresses. If it identifies the email, follow the instructions to regain access to your account.

Conclusion

If you forgot your PayPal password or email address, follow the steps above to restore your account in just a few minutes.

If you still can't access your account or the system doesn't recognize any of the email addresses you tried, contact customer service for assistance in restoring your PayPal account.