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Recover a Device Password

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Applies to: Exchange Server 2010

You can use the EMC, the Shell, or Microsoft Office Outlook Web App to recover a device password.

You can require a device password through Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync policies. A user can configure a device password even if your Exchange ActiveSync policies don't require one. If users forget their password, you can obtain a recovery password using the EMC or the Shell. The recovery password unlocks the device and lets the user create a new password. Users can also recover their device passwords by using Outlook Web App.

Looking for other management tasks related to mobile phones? Check out Managing Exchange ActiveSync Devices.

Prerequisites

To use Outlook Web App to recover a user's device password, you must be able to sign in to Outlook Web App using the user's credentials.

Use the EMC to display the device recovery password

You need to be assigned permissions before you can perform this procedure. To see what permissions you need, see the "Exchange ActiveSync server settings" entry in the Client Access Permissions topic.

  1. In the console tree, navigate to Recipient Configuration > Mailbox.
  2. In the details pane, select a user, and then select Manage Mobile Device from the action pane. The device recovery password is displayed in the Manage Mobile Device dialog box.

Use the Shell to display the device recovery password

You need to be assigned permissions before you can perform this procedure. To see what permissions you need, see the "Exchange ActiveSync device settings" entry in the Client Access Permissions topic.

This example displays the recovery password for the mobile phone on the mailbox that belongs to Tony Smith.

Get-ActiveSyncDeviceStatistics -Mailbox:"tonysmith" -ShowRecoveryPassword:$true

For more information about syntax and parameters, see Get-ActiveSyncDeviceStatistics.

Use Outlook Web App to recover a device password

  1. In Outlook Web App, click Options.

  2. Select Phones from the Navigation Pane.

  3. Select the mobile phone from the list.

    Note

    All mobile phones the user has configured for Exchange ActiveSync are displayed in this list. To determine the correct mobile phone, use the device name and the last synchronization time displayed in the list of devices.

  4. Click Display Device Password.

Other Tasks

After you recover a password, you may also want to: