How-to account recovery lost email and mobile contact update in-person verification account modification CDSL KYC

How to recover a Zerodha account when you lost both email and mobile

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If you have lost access to both your registered email and your registered mobile number at Zerodha , you recover the account by updating your contact details first, then resetting the password; you cannot reset the password until the new email and mobile are live, because every reset OTP is sent to those channels. The update runs through an e-signed account modification form and a CDSL KYC form, a support ticket, and an In-Person Verification video check. Zerodha updates the contact details within 72 working hours after successful verification, and only then can you reset the password and re-enable two-factor authentication.

This guide sets out the exact sequence, the two routes (an Aadhaar-linked online route and an offline courier route), the forms and their signature requirement, the masked-Aadhaar rule, the IPV step, and the timeline. The recovery is free, but it is not instant: budget a few working days end to end because of the verification and the 72-working-hour update window.

Conflict-of-interest disclosure. This guide is published by the WebNotes Editorial Team for informational purposes and is written independently. WebNotes operates a Zerodha account-opening referral programme, disclosed on the pages that carry the referral link; this guide does not carry it and earns no referral commission from the procedure described here.

Step-by-step procedure

The numbered box at the top of this guide gives the sequence. The detail below expands the route choice, the forms, the signature rule, and the verification.

1. Confirm you have lost both channels

This offline-heavy route exists only for the both-lost case. If you still have the registered email, reset on email; if you still have the registered mobile, reset on SMS. Either single channel keeps you on the fast path covered in How to recover your Kite password . Read on only if no OTP can reach you on either, for example after you changed both your number and your email provider without updating Zerodha, or lost the SIM and the email together.

2. Gather your user ID, PAN, and new contact details

Have your user ID, in the 12-character Zerodha user ID format , and your PAN ready, because both anchor the request. Decide the new mobile number and new email you want on the account. The single fact that picks your route is whether the new mobile number is linked to your Aadhaar: if it is, the online route is open; if it is not, you use the offline courier route.

3. Download the account modification and CDSL KYC form

Download the account modification form and the CDSL KYC form as PDFs from Zerodha. On the forms, enter your existing details and the new mobile number and email ID to be updated. Where Aadhaar is referenced, submit a masked Aadhaar, the version that hides the first eight digits, not the full Aadhaar number. This follows the UIDAI guidance that the full Aadhaar number should not be shared where a masked version suffices, and it is the form Zerodha requires for a contact change.

4. Sign with your account-opening signature

Sign both forms with the same signature you used when opening the account. For the online route you e-sign the forms; for the offline route you print, wet-sign, and courier. The signature match is the load-bearing identity check here: a request that changes the very channels Zerodha uses to reach you cannot be accepted on a mismatched signature, and a mismatch is the single most common rejection reason. If your signature has drifted over the years, reproduce the original as closely as you can.

5. Create a ticket and attach the e-signed form, or courier it

For the online route, create a support ticket and attach the e-signed account modification and CDSL KYC forms; see How to create a ticket at Zerodha . If you cannot log in to raise a ticket, use How to create a ticket without logging in to Zerodha . For the offline route, courier the signed forms to Zerodha’s support centre: Zerodha Customer Support Centre, 192A, 4th Floor, Kalyani Vista, 3rd Main Road, JP Nagar 4th Phase, Bengaluru, 560076. Keep the courier tracking number.

6. Complete In-Person Verification

Once Zerodha validates the documents, it emails a link to complete In-Person Verification , the video check that confirms the person making the request is the account holder. This is the same IPV safeguard used at account opening. Complete it from your new channel, since the link arrives at the new email or works alongside your new number. IPV is what lets Zerodha accept a contact change made by someone who, by definition, cannot receive an OTP at the old contacts.

7. Wait for the update and then reset your password

After successful verification, the contact details are updated within 72 working hours. Working hours, not calendar hours, so a request submitted on a Friday may complete the following week. Once the new email and mobile are live on the account, run the standard password reset: choose Receive on E-mail or SMS, enter the new registered detail and the captcha, click Reset, enter the OTP that now reaches your new channel, set a new password, and re-enable 2FA .

Why this cannot be a simple online reset

A password reset is gated on an OTP to a channel only the account holder controls. With both the email and the mobile lost, that gate has no key, so Zerodha cannot let a self-service reset proceed; doing so would let anyone who knew your user ID and PAN seize an account by claiming both contacts were lost. The offline-or-Aadhaar route rebuilds the missing trust through three independent checks: a signature that matches the account-opening record, a KYC-grade form, and a live IPV video. Each is hard for an impostor to fake at once, which is the point.

This is consistent with the cyber-security and cyber-resilience framework the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI ) sets for stock brokers and depository participants, which requires strong identity controls before account-level changes, and with the CDSL KYC process that governs the demat account side. The zerodha cyber security posture treats a contact-detail change as a sensitive action precisely because changing the contact channels is the first move in most account-takeover attempts.

The Aadhaar-linked online route in detail

If your new mobile number is linked to your Aadhaar, you can avoid the courier. You still download the account modification and CDSL KYC forms, fill in the new details, e-sign them, and raise a ticket with the e-signed forms attached. The Aadhaar linkage lets the e-sign and the OTP-based steps work against your Aadhaar-registered number rather than the old Zerodha-registered one. The IPV and the 72-working-hour update still apply; the Aadhaar route changes how you submit and sign, not the verification depth. If the new number is not Aadhaar-linked, the courier route is your path, and you can link the number to Aadhaar later to make future changes easier.

How this differs from a single-channel change

This guide is the both-lost case. The adjacent, lighter cases have their own guides. If only your number changed, use How to change your Zerodha mobile number . If only your email changed, use How to change your Zerodha email . If you are changing both before the account is even opened, use How to change mobile or email before opening a Zerodha account . The full IPV-plus-form route in this guide is reserved for the situation where no OTP can reach you at all, which is why it carries the heaviest verification.

If the account has also gone dormant or been deactivated in the meantime, you may need to combine this with a reactivation; see How to reactivate a dormant Zerodha account and How to re-KYC at Zerodha .

See also

External references

References

  1. Zerodha support, How can the Zerodha account password be reset without access to the linked mobile number and email ID? (account modification + CDSL KYC form, IPV, 72 working hours; as of 20 June 2026).
  2. Zerodha support, How to login to Kite if the mobile is lost? (as of 20 June 2026).
  3. SEBI, Cyber Security and Cyber Resilience framework for Stock Brokers and Depository Participants (identity controls for account-level changes).
  4. CDSL, KYC and account modification operating instructions (masked Aadhaar and beneficial-owner contact updates).

WebNotes Editorial Team prepares factual how-to guides based on publicly available regulatory documents and broker disclosures. WebNotes is not affiliated with Zerodha Broking Limited. Procedures, forms, and timelines are subject to change; verify current requirements at support.zerodha.com before acting.

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Frequently asked questions

I lost both my registered email and mobile. How do I get back into Zerodha?
You must update your contact details before you can reset the password. Submit an e-signed account modification and CDSL KYC form with your new mobile and email, raise a ticket, complete In-Person Verification, and after the update reset your password.
Why can't I just reset my password?
A password reset sends an OTP to your registered email or mobile. With both lost, no OTP can reach you, so the reset is blocked. You first update the contact details through a verified offline or Aadhaar-online route, then the OTP reaches your new channel.
What documents do I need?
The account modification form and the CDSL KYC form, your user ID, your PAN, and your new mobile number and email. If Aadhaar is referenced on the form, submit a masked Aadhaar, not the full number.
How long does the contact update take?
Zerodha updates the contact details within 72 working hours after successful verification, which includes In-Person Verification. Only after the new email and mobile are live can you reset the password and log in again.
Is there an online way to do this?
Yes, if your new mobile number is linked to your Aadhaar. The Aadhaar-linked online route lets you e-sign the form and raise a ticket without couriering paper. If the number is not Aadhaar-linked, you use the offline courier route.
Why does my signature have to match?
The signature on the form must match the one you gave when opening the account, because it is a core identity check on a request that changes how Zerodha contacts you. A mismatch is a common rejection reason, so reproduce your original signature carefully.
What is In-Person Verification in this process?
In-Person Verification, or IPV, is a video check confirming that the person making the request is the account holder. After your forms validate, Zerodha emails a link to complete it. It is the same identity safeguard used at account opening.

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