Creating App-Specific Passwords for Email

An app-specific password is a unique password you generate for a single mail app — your phone's Mail app, Outlook, Thunderbird, and so on. Each app gets its own password that you can revoke at any time without changing your main password. This guide explains when you need them and how to create and manage them on Exact Hosting Enhanced Email.

About app-specific passwords

App-specific passwords protect access to your mailbox from email clients. Instead of giving every app your main password, you give each one a separate, single-purpose password. If a device is lost or an app is compromised, you revoke just that one password and your other apps keep working.

App-specific passwords are especially important once you turn on two-factor authentication. Mail apps cannot complete the 2FA code step, so they can no longer use your normal password — they need an app-specific password instead.

Note: The two features are independent. You can use app-specific passwords on their own, use 2FA on its own, or use both. See the Enhanced Email Security FAQ.

Before you begin

• Access to Exact Hosting Webmail. You must be able to sign in.
• A list of the apps you need passwords for. Each mail app on each device needs its own password — for example, one for your iPhone Mail app and another for Outlook on your laptop.

Step 1: Open your password settings

1. Sign in to Exact Hosting Webmail.
2. Open Settings.
3. Click Password. App-specific passwords live in this section alongside two-factor authentication. See Using the Webmail Settings Menu at Exact Hosting.

Step 2: Generate an app-specific password

1. Find the app-specific passwords option and choose to create a new one.
2. Give the password a recognizable name, such as "iPhone Mail" or "Outlook laptop", so you know which app it belongs to.
3. Generate the password. Webmail displays a string of characters.
4. Copy the password immediately.

Warning: Treat each app-specific password like a real password. It grants full access to your mailbox from a mail client. Do not share it, and generate a separate one for each app.

Step 3: Enter the password in your mail app

1. Open the mail app you are setting up.
2. In the account's password field, enter the app-specific password instead of your normal password. Your username stays the same — your full email address.
3. Save and let the app connect.

For per-app setup steps, see Setting Up Email on iPhone & iPad or Setting Up Email in Outlook (Windows & Mac).

Revoking an app-specific password

If you lose a device or stop using an app, revoke its password:

1. Open Settings > Password in Webmail.
2. Find the app-specific password by the name you gave it.
3. Delete or revoke it.

The app using that password loses access immediately. Your other apps and your main password are unaffected.

Tip: If an app suddenly stops receiving mail after you set up app-specific passwords, it is probably still using your old password. Generate a new app-specific password and re-enter it in that app.

Next steps

• Turn on 2FA. Pair app-specific passwords with two-factor authentication for full protection.
• Reconnect your devices. Update each mail app with its own password using the device setup guides.
• Review common questions. See the Enhanced Email Security FAQ.

Questions? Contact Exact Hosting Support.