IRCTC Forgot User ID or Password: How to Recover It

IRCTC splits account recovery into two separate flows: one to recover your user ID and a different one to reset your password. Most people get stuck because they try the wrong one, or because the mobile number on the account isn't theirs anymore. Here's how each path actually works, including the dead ends.

Forgot your user ID

Go to the IRCTC login page and choose Forgot User ID. You'll be asked for the email address or mobile number used at signup, plus a few identity details such as your name and date of birth. If that email or number is still yours, IRCTC sends the user ID to it directly.

If you registered years ago with an email you no longer use, this step fails silently, you'll just get an error that the details don't match. There is no separate lookup by PAN or Aadhaar on this screen; it only matches against what's stored in your profile.

Forgot your password

Choose Forgot Password and enter your user ID. IRCTC sends an OTP to your registered mobile number or email. Older accounts were also set up with a security question, but the current reset flow is OTP-based. Whichever channel you can still access, use that one. You don't need both.

What if your registered mobile number has changed

This is the most common dead end. IRCTC sends OTPs only to the number on file, so a new SIM with a new number won't receive anything. Your options, in order of how likely they are to work:

• Use the email OTP instead. If your registered email is still active, you can bypass the mobile OTP entirely and reset the password by email, then update your mobile number from the profile page once you're in.
• Use a session that is still logged in. If the app or a browser is still signed in to your account, update your contact details from the profile page before you log out.
• Contact IRCTC support. If both the mobile and email are gone, call IRCTC customer care on 14646 or write to IRCTC's support email, and raise a request with proof of identity (an ID matching the name on the account). This is slower and doesn't have a guaranteed turnaround, so start it well before you need to book a ticket.

What if you never get the OTP

Before assuming the system is broken, check the basics: that you entered the correct user ID, that SMS isn't being blocked (some banking-only SIM plans filter transactional SMS), and that you're not out of network coverage. If the OTP still doesn't arrive after a few minutes, use the Resend OTP option once the timer allows it rather than requesting it repeatedly, since IRCTC temporarily blocks accounts that trigger too many OTP requests in a short window.

Why the mobile-and-email design causes this problem

IRCTC ties recovery to whatever contact details you gave at signup years ago, not to your identity documents. That's deliberate, it stops someone else who merely knows your PAN or Aadhaar number from taking over your account. The downside is that if your number changed after a SIM swap, a lost phone or simply moving cities, the system has no automatic way to know that the new number belongs to the same person. It has to fall back to the email channel or to a human check, which is slower by design, not by accident.

This is also why it helps to treat your IRCTC profile like a bank account rather than a one-time signup: keep the mobile number current every time you change it, the same way you would for net banking, instead of only thinking about it when you're locked out before a trip.

Recovering without email access

If you no longer have access to your registered email but your mobile number is unchanged, the mobile OTP route works on its own, you don't need the email at all. The trouble case is losing both: no mobile, no email. In that scenario, customer support with ID proof is the only route left. Keep a screenshot or note of your user ID and registered contact details somewhere safe going forward, it saves this entire process.

After you're back in

Once you're logged in, update your mobile number and email immediately from your IRCTC profile. This is also a good time to double check the KYC and Aadhaar-linking status on your profile, since that affects your access to Tatkal booking and to online booking on the opening day of the 60-day window. If you'd rather follow your train in Hindi once you're booked, our Hindi pages carry the same live train information (account recovery itself happens only on IRCTC).

What our site can and can't help with

We don't run IRCTC's login or booking system, and we can't reset your password for you, that has to happen on irctc.co.in or in the official app. What we do offer is live running status for any train, so an account problem doesn't have to stall your travel planning, and a trip planner that shows seat availability trends and alternative trains without needing you to be logged in anywhere.