Restore access

You can restore account access yourself using a confirmed phone number or email address, or by answering a security question. To start, follow the instructions on the restore access page.

If you can't restore access by yourself for some reason, please fill in the Restore Access form.

Restore access using the form

Tip. If possible, please fill out the form on the same computer (or smartphone or tablet) that you usually use to log in to Yandex. During the access restoration process, Yandex is less likely to trust new IP addresses or devices in order to make it more difficult for hackers to get access to your account.

Step 1. Fill out the form

  1. Open the access restoration form, enter the account username and the characters you see in the picture. Follow our recommendations to remember your exact username.
  2. Specify your contact email address and the account's details. The information you enter is checked automatically, so please try to fill in the text fields as accurately as possible. If you don't remember your old password or the exact spelling of the name you provided, try entering the information as you remember it or add other variants (by clicking + next to the field).

Step 2. Confirm account recovery

If your details pass our check successfully, you'll receive recovery instructions at the contact email address you specified in the form in three days.

We'll also immediately send a message to the email address associated with the account being recovered and an SMS to the phone number linked to it.
  • If you have access to the account being recovered — for example, if you're logged in on another device — open the email and click It's me. You'll immediately receive recovery instructions at the contact email address you specified in the form.
  • If you have no way of accessing the account, the recovery process can't be sped up due to security concerns.
  • If the account recovery process was initiated by someone else or if you managed to restore access on your own, press That's not me in the email or in the SMS message on your phone.

Sometimes, additional verification may be required, in which case your form is sent to our support team. You may be asked to provide additional information or attach a photo of yourself holding your national identity document, driver's license, or international passport. We ask you to take such a photo so that nobody can access your account if the document gets stolen.

Photo requirements
What should be clearly visible in the photo
Why is it necessary to take a photo of myself with a document?

We need to make sure that we are helping the account owner. To do this:

  • We compare the first and last name specified in the document with the information provided by the user when registering a Yandex account. This data must match.
  • We compare your face in the picture with the photo in the document.
Why do you need the document number and series?
We need to know the number and series of your ID to make sure that the document is valid (neither expired nor lost).
What document can I use for the photo?
  • Internal passport
  • International passport
  • Military service record book
  • Driver's license

Examples of documents that can't be used: a student ID, work ID, army draft card, hunting license, and so forth.

What should I do if I can't take a picture?

Ask someone you know to help you or take a picture using a mirror.

If you took the photo using a mirror, flip the image in the graphic editor.