Continually have to change my password

Question

For the past three days I have had to change my password as when I sign it keeps coming up incorrect password, could you please let me know why this is happening, thank you.

Answer 1

Hi Cathy, I know how frustrating that is.

The most common cause is that something keeps trying your old password in the background, which repeatedly locks the account and makes the next sign-in look wrong. Less commonly, someone else might be trying to get in. The fix is to secure the account once, sign out everywhere, then update the saved password on every device and app so nothing is still using the old one.

On a trusted device, go to account.microsoft.com, select Security, then Review recent activity. If you see unfamiliar sign-ins, mark them as Not me and follow the prompts to Secure your account.

Still under Security, open Advanced security options and choose the option to sign out of all sessions. This forces every device and app to stop using the old token. Then change your Microsoft account password there to a brand new one you have not used before. If offered, turn on two-step verification to prevent repeats.

Now update the password everywhere you use this account so nothing keeps retrying the old one. That includes Windows sign-in if you use a Microsoft account on the PC, Outlook or Mail apps, OneDrive, Microsoft Store, Teams, Office apps, your phone's mail app, and any older apps or devices.

Once you finish these steps, the loop of wrong-password prompts should stop. Tell me what you find under Recent activity and whether any device or app still asks for the old password, and I will guide you the rest of the way.