If you don't use a password manager, those complex passwords
can be hard to remember. If you forgot your Microsoft account password, which
could be an account on outlook.com, live.com, hotmail.com or even skype.com,
you can't really recover that same password, but it's easy enough to recover
your account resetting your password to something new.
In your web browser, go to the Microsoft Account page and
then click on "Login" in the upper right corner.
Enter your Microsoft username and then click on the
"Next" button.
Please note that due to changes over the years, you may have
used any Microsoft-related email account such as your Microsoft account. This
includes outlook.com, live.com, hotmail.com and skype.com. Microsoft even
allows you to sign up for a Microsoft account using external email addresses, such
as your Gmail address. But the password of your Microsoft account will be
different from the password of an external account.
Under the password field, click on the "I forgot my
password" link.
On the next screen, choose the "I forgot my
password" option and then click on the "Next" button.
You will be asked to type some characters you see on the
screen as a security measure. Do it and then click on the "Next"
button.
Verify your identity with an email address or phone number
already in the file
If you set up your Microsoft account with an alternate
email, select it from the list, verify the email address and then click the
"Send code" button.
Alternatively, if you have a mobile device connected to your
account, you can receive this code by SMS instead of by email.
Enter the code you received in the email and then click on
the "Next" button.
Enter your new password, confirm your new password, then
click on the "Next" button.
Your password has now been changed. Click on the
"Next" button once more and you will be directed to the login screen
where you can use your new password to login.
Verify your identity if you don't have an alternative email
in the file yet
If you choose "I don't have any of these" from the
list of contact methods, Microsoft will have to send a security code to a
different email address as verification.
Enter the email address where you want to receive the code
and then click on the "Next" button.
After receiving the code, enter it in the field provided and
then click on the "Verify" button.
On the following screens, you must complete a form with
information related to your account, such as first and last name, date of
birth, country where you created the account, sent emails, etc. Click on
"Next" and submit the form.
Once you have submitted the form, Microsoft will review the
information you have provided and respond to your decision within 24 hours to
the email address you provided.
If you entered enough correct information and your request
has been accepted, you will receive an email with the steps to reset your
password.
If your request was denied, you have the opportunity to test
up to twice a day. If you cannot remember enough information to recover your
account, you may need to create a new account.
