All your account details—including usernames, protocols, and saved passwords—are kept in a file named accounts.xml . Where to Find Your Pidgin Passwords
However, with the convenience of a unified messenger comes the inevitable friction of password management. If you have used Pidgin for years, you may find yourself in a precarious situation: you need to log in on a new device, or perhaps your computer has crashed and you are reinstalling the operating system, only to realize you have no idea what your password is. You open Pidgin, and there it is—your account is active, the client logs in automatically, but the password field is obscured by black dots or asterisks.
This scenario is the classic catalyst for . Because Pidgin does not store passwords in a "Forgot Password" database like a web service might, users often feel trapped. Fortunately, due to the open-source nature of Pidgin and the way it handles data on your local machine, recovering your password is not only possible but often straightforward. Pidgin Password Recovery
Your first step should always be the simplest. Open the accounts.xml file with a text editor (Notepad, VS Code, gedit).
If Pidgin is currently running (e.g., you’re still logged in but forgot the password for a specific account), you can extract the password from the process memory. You open Pidgin, and there it is—your account
| What you see in accounts.xml | Action | |-------------------------------|--------| | <password>mypass</password> | Plain text – read it directly. | | base64... | Base64 decode. | | blowfish... | Use a decoding script (GitHub). | | No <password> tag | Password not stored locally. Reset via service. |
Utilities like (by SecurityXploded) or Messenger Password Decryptor are widely used. These tools scan the default Pidgin installation path, locate the accounts.xml file automatically, parse the XML code, and display Fortunately, due to the open-source nature of Pidgin
If you forgot the password but are still logged in: