Transactional

Password reset email template

A password reset email with one button, the link as plain text, an expiry time and a note for people who did not ask.

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A password reset email is read by someone who is locked out and a little impatient. This template gives them one button, the same link as plain text, how long the link works, and what to do if they never asked for it.

There is no hero image, no social row and no promotion. Every extra element is something the reader has to scan past to get back into their account.

What this email must include

  • A button that opens the reset page, and the same URL as plain text under it for email clients that strip buttons.
  • How long the link works, written as a duration ("for 60 minutes") so the reader does not have to think about time zones.
  • A line for people who did not request the reset, telling them they can ignore the email and their password stays the same.
  • Where to go if the link has expired or does not open.

Subject line and preview text ideas

Reset your Example Co password

This link works for 60 minutes.

Your password reset link

Did not ask for this? You can ignore it.

Reset your password

Use the button inside to choose a new one.

When to send it

Send it the moment the reset is requested. People wait on the "check your inbox" screen, so this email belongs on a fast transactional stream, not in a queue behind a newsletter send.

When someone requests a second reset, cancel the first link. Otherwise an older email in their inbox still opens the account.

Deliverability and security notes

Reset links must expire and must work only once. A link that never expires turns every old email into a key to the account. Pick a short window, such as 30 or 60 minutes, and state it in the email.

Never put the password, or a new temporary password, in the email. Send a link to a page where the person chooses one.

Some corporate security filters open links in incoming mail to scan them before the reader does. Make the reset page ask for the new password rather than changing anything on the first visit, or the scanner uses up the link.

Send resets from a separate transactional stream or subdomain, apart from your marketing mail, so a complaint spike on a campaign cannot slow down a reset.

What is in this template

Subject line
Reset your Example Co password
Preview text
This link works for 60 minutes. Did not ask for it? Ignore this email.
Blocks
8
Block types
Heading, Text, Button, Divider, Footer

Tips for using it

  • Do not reveal whether an account exists. Show the same "check your inbox" message whether or not the address is registered.
  • Keep the subject plain. People search their inbox for "password"; a clever subject line does not turn up.
  • After the password changes, send a short confirmation so the owner hears about a change they did not make.
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Send it with Broadcast

Broadcast is self-hosted email marketing software with a one-time price. Paste this template into a campaign and send to unlimited subscribers through Amazon SES, Postmark or any SMTP server.

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