1 Start the official password reset
Go to the official Microsoft reset page: account.live.com/password/reset
Enter the email address, phone number, or Skype name you sign in with. That’s usually an @outlook.com, @hotmail.com, @live.com, or @msn.com address, but it can be any email address you attached to the account.
Not sure which address? Check an old Xbox, Office, or Windows receipt, or look at Settings → Accounts on a PC that’s still signed in.
2 The “golden rules” for success
Microsoft’s automated system weighs how familiar everything looks. To improve your odds:
Use a familiar device and network. Do this on the PC or phone you normally sign in with, on your home or work Wi-Fi.
Check the Authenticator app first. If you ever set up Microsoft Authenticator on your phone, approving the sign-in there is the fastest route back in.
Don’t create a new account. It’s tempting, but a new account won’t carry your email, files, or Office and Xbox purchases.
3 Get your security code
Microsoft sends a code to whatever backup contact is on the account, a phone number, or another email address like a Gmail or Yahoo account.
The screen shows only a hint: the last two digits of a phone number, or the first letter of an email. Use that hint to figure out where to look.
Check your spam folder for a message from Microsoft account team, and give it a couple of minutes before asking for another code.
Once you’re back in, take two minutes to update your backup phone and email at account.microsoft.com so next time is easy.
4 No way to get a code? Fill out the recovery form
If the backup phone and email are both gone, choose “I don’t have any of these” and Microsoft gives you a recovery questionnaire. A real person reviews it, so detail wins.
Have an email address handy that you can get into; that’s where Microsoft replies, usually within 24 hours.
Answer as much as you can, and guess rather than skip. Old passwords, people you email often, subject lines from recent messages, your Skype name, your Xbox gamertag, and the last four digits of a card on file all help.
Turned down? You can submit the form again. Do it from a familiar device and add anything you remembered since; a second, fuller attempt often lands.
5 Windows sign-in and BitLocker: what it means for repairs
On most newer PCs, the Windows login is the Microsoft account, and the drive may be encrypted with BitLocker. That’s why we sometimes can’t finish a job until you’re back into the account.
Your BitLocker recovery key lives in your Microsoft account, at account.microsoft.com/devices/recoverykey. Sign in from a phone or another computer and you can read it off there.
Without that key, an encrypted drive can’t be unlocked by anyone; not us, not Microsoft. Your files stay locked, so grab the key before a repair if you can.
Bring the PC’s local password too if it has one. Some machines sign in locally and only use the Microsoft account for email and the Store.
The official recovery process is always free
We can’t recover the account for you, but if you’d like someone to sit with you and work through it step by step, bring your device in. We’re happy to help, just note that hands-on time with a technician is billed as a training service.
