Lost passwords and address book

Marlene P 0 Reputation points
2026-10-03T01:35:14.1066667+00:00

The new updates for Windows and Microsoft hit on the same day. Now I've lost all my stored passwords and almost all my AOL address book. HELP!

Windows for home | Windows 10 | Windows update
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  1. Hendrix-V 19,485 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2026-10-03T06:24:34.92+00:00

    Hi Marlene P,

    Thank you for reaching out. I understand how concerning it can be when passwords and contacts appear to be missing after updates.

    To help narrow down the cause, could you clarify the following:

    • Are the missing passwords from a web browser (such as Edge, Chrome, or Firefox), Outlook, or another application?
    • If you sign in to your AOL account through the AOL website, are your contacts missing there as well, or only in the email app you use?
    • Are you using a Microsoft account to sign in to Windows, and do you see any recent account or profile changes after the update?

    The answers to these questions can help determine whether the data is missing from the application itself, from the account, or from the local Windows profile.

    I look forward to your update and will be happy to help you investigate further.

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  2. AI answer

    2026-10-03T01:35:30.9433333+00:00

    If this started right after the Windows and Microsoft updates, one known Windows 10 issue can cause Outlook and other apps to stop remembering saved passwords after certain updates.

    1. Install the Windows fix if it is not already installed.
      • The issue was fixed in the February 2, 2021 Windows 10 update KB4598291 for OS Builds 19041.789 and 19042.789.
    2. If passwords still are not being remembered, check for scheduled tasks using S4U logon and disable them.
      • Open Windows PowerShell (Admin).
      • Run: 
             Get-ScheduledTask | foreach { If (([xml](Export-ScheduledTask -TaskName $_.TaskName -TaskPath $_.TaskPath)).GetElementsByTagName("LogonType").'#text' -eq "S4U") { $_.TaskName } }
      • Note any task names returned.
      • Open Task Scheduler from Windows Search.
      • Find each task listed by the command.
      • Right-click each one and select Disable.
      • Restart Windows.
      • After restart, missing passwords may need to be entered one more time before they save again.
    3. For Outlook or other email accounts, if the account password itself changed, change it with the email provider first.
      • For Outlook.com, use the Outlook.com password change process.
      • For third-party providers such as AOL, the password must be changed on the provider’s website.
      • After that, Outlook for Windows will prompt for the updated password.
    4. If Outlook shows an app-password message for a third-party account, use an app password from the email provider instead of the normal password.
      • This can apply to some IMAP accounts.

    For the AOL address book loss, the available material does not provide a supported recovery procedure for AOL contacts. The supported guidance available here is limited to password-loss behavior after Windows updates and updating stored email passwords.

    References:

    AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

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