Change Your Microsoft Account Password

To change a Microsoft account password while you can still sign in, open the account through {site}, go to Security, and choose the password change option. If you have forgotten the current password, start with Forgot password on the Microsoft sign-in screen and follow the identity verification prompts.

What do you need before changing your Microsoft password?

Before you change a Microsoft password, make sure you can sign in and receive any security code Microsoft requests. A security code is a one-time code sent to a verified email address, phone number, or another verification method connected to the account.

Have the following ready:

• Your Microsoft account email address, phone number, or Skype name.
• Your current password, if you still know it.
• Access to the email address, phone, or verification method shown during the security check.
• A new password that you have not used for this Microsoft account before.

Check the account name carefully before continuing. This helps prevent an account password change for the wrong Microsoft account when several accounts are saved on the same device.

How do you change your Microsoft account password?

If you can still sign in, use the account security settings to change the password for your Microsoft account. These steps answer common searches such as “how do I change my Microsoft password” and “how to change password on Microsoft account.”

1. Open {site} and select the option to sign in to your Microsoft account.
2. Enter the email address, phone number, or Skype name connected to the account.
3. Enter your current password and complete any security check that appears.
4. Open the Security section of the Microsoft account.
5. Select the option for changing the password.
6. Enter the current password again if Microsoft requests it.
7. Enter the new password, confirm it, and save the change.

Create a password that is difficult for another person to guess and different from passwords used on other accounts. Do not share the new password or a security code with anyone who contacts you unexpectedly.

How do you change a Microsoft password when you cannot sign in?

If the current password is forgotten, do not use the signed-in password change process. Start Microsoft password recovery from the sign-in screen instead.

1. Go to the Microsoft account sign-in screen.
2. Enter the account email address, phone number, or Skype name.
3. Select Forgot password or the option stating that you cannot access the account.
4. Review the account identifier shown and confirm that it is the correct Microsoft account.
5. Choose an available verification method and request a security code.
6. Enter the code exactly as received.
7. Create and confirm a new password when Microsoft allows the reset.

Microsoft may ask for information to verify account ownership. Provide information you know is accurate rather than guessing. The available questions and verification choices can vary according to the security information already connected to the account.

What should you do if the Microsoft verification code never arrives?

If a Microsoft security code does not arrive, first confirm that the displayed destination matches an email address or phone number you can access. Check the email account’s spam or junk folder, make sure the phone can receive messages, and verify that you entered the code from the most recent request.

If the displayed email address or phone number is no longer available, look for another verification choice on the Microsoft screen. Do not repeatedly enter random codes and never ask another person to receive a code for you.

When none of the listed methods works, use Microsoft’s official account recovery route. From the Microsoft sign-in or support area, look for the account recovery form. The account recovery form is Microsoft’s process for collecting account details that may help establish that the requester owns the account.

Complete the form from a device and location you commonly use when possible. Enter a working contact email address if the form requests one, and answer account questions as accurately as you can. Microsoft Support cannot safely bypass identity checks or provide a password without the required account verification.

What happens after you change your Microsoft account password?

The new password applies wherever that same personal Microsoft account is used. A device or app with an existing session may ask you to sign in again after the change.

After you change the password for a Microsoft account:

• Use the new password the next time a Microsoft sign-in prompt appears.
• Update saved credentials in browsers, password managers, email apps, and other apps that stored the old password.
• Remove an outdated saved password if a device keeps submitting it automatically.
• Check that you are entering the new password for the correct Microsoft account.
• Review the account’s security information and make sure the listed verification methods remain accessible.

If an app continues to reject the new password, close its sign-in prompt and begin a fresh sign-in. Avoid changing the password again until you have confirmed that the app is using the correct account and is not filling in the old password.

How can you get help with a Microsoft account?

For official help with a personal Microsoft account, use Microsoft Support through the verified site and choose the account, sign-in, or password topic. Follow only the support and recovery options presented through Microsoft’s official pages.

Before requesting help, prepare the Microsoft account identifier, a description of the exact error, the verification method you can access, and the steps already attempted. Note whether you know the current password, whether a security code arrives, and whether the problem occurs on one device or every device you have tried.

Never send a password or security code in a support message. Support may explain the approved recovery process, but account ownership still has to be verified through Microsoft’s security system.