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How to find my password at microsoft

Mary Sandone 0 Reputation points
2026-03-19T23:54:50.8833333+00:00

How do I sign in to my email account? I’ve tried many times to reopen my email account and I cannot do it because I cannot find my password. I know my username but no password.

Windows for home | Windows 11 | Accounts, profiles, and login
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  1. Estrella721 38,320 Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2026-03-20T00:29:08.7033333+00:00

    Hi,

    When was the last time you successfully logged in to your account?

    Do you have any active verification methods linked, such as your phone number or email address?

    Have you tried resetting your password?

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  2. AI answer

    2026-03-19T23:55:04.83+00:00

    A forgotten Microsoft account password cannot be viewed, but it can be reset so the email account can be accessed again.

    Follow these steps to sign in when the password is unknown:

    1. Go to the Microsoft account sign-in page: https://account.microsoft.com.
    2. Enter the email address (username) for the account and continue.
    3. On the password page, select Forgot password?.
    4. You will be taken to the Recover your account flow (or you can start it directly at https://account.live.com/password/reset).
    5. Enter the email address, phone number, or Skype name used to sign in, then select Next.
    6. Choose where to receive a security code (email, phone, etc.), then select Send code.
    7. Enter the security code on the Verify your identity page and select Next.
    8. Create a New password, then re-enter it in Re-enter password, and finish.
    9. After the password is reset, return to the sign-in page and sign in with the username and new password.

    Tips if the account is not recognized or sign-in still fails:

    • Make sure the email address is typed correctly, including the domain (for example, .com vs .co.uk, and spelling like rachel vs rachael).
    • If the email is not recognized, try another alias or phone number that might be on the account.
    • To check if the email is a Microsoft account, go to https://account.microsoft.com and enter the email:
      • If a password prompt appears, it is a Microsoft account.
      • If the message "We couldn't find an account with that username" or "That Microsoft account doesn't exist" appears, the address is not an active Microsoft account or may have been closed.
    • If the username and password have stopped working and recovery fails, use the Sign-in Helper tool from the Microsoft account help pages or follow the guidance in My username and password have stopped working.

    If the account has been inactive for more than two years, it may have been deleted and cannot be reopened.

    References:

    AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

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    1 person found this answer helpful.
  3. Sin-D 10,020 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2026-03-22T01:48:12.69+00:00

    Hi Mary Sandone,

    Thanks for posting your question. For security reasons, Microsoft passwords cannot be viewed or retrieved. If you know the username but not the password, the only supported option is to reset the password.

    Before going further, may I please confirm:

    • Have you already tried the “Forgot password?” option suggested by Q&A Assist?
    • Do you currently have access to any verification method on the account (a recovery email address or phone number)?

    If you haven’t tried it yet, please follow the official Microsoft steps below:

    1. Go to Reset a forgotten Microsoft account password: https://account.live.com/ResetPassword.aspx.
    2. Enter your email address (username) and select “Next”.
    3. Choose where to receive a security code (email or phone), then verify your identity.
    4. Create a new password, then return to the sign‑in page and sign in with the new password.

    Please check this guidance for more details: Reset a forgotten Microsoft account password

    If you no longer have access to the verification options, Microsoft provides a Sign‑in Helper / account recovery tool to guide you through the next steps: Microsoft Sign‑in Helper

    If the answer is helpful, please click "Accept Answer" and kindly upvote it. If you have extra questions about this answer, please click "Comment".    

    Note: Please follow the steps in our documentation to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread.

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