not being able to add phone no

Question

hello,

i have a phone number from nepal and in 2 accounts i have used phones numbers successfully when i created a third account i havent been able to update the phone no as i want to remove the email that it sends code at it says add a phone no or an alternate email address and i already have an alternate email address since it was not working i was going to add my phone no but it is not working since i have like the new no my country code in +977 and since all the numbers that started as 98XXXXXXXX
have been given out new numbers starting with 97XXXXXXXX have been given out for new sim cards and it says number invalid sometimes sometimes country code invalid how do i fix this issue

Answer 1

Hi, I get how annoying it feels when you just want to update your security info, and the system keeps rejecting your number.

This usually happens because Microsoft validates phone numbers against a fixed format, and Nepal’s newer numbers starting with 97 might not be fully recognized yet.

The best way to fix it is to enter the number exactly as +97797XXXXXXXX without spaces or extra zeros, and try adding it through the main security page at http://account.microsoft.com/security instead of during sign-in.

If SMS doesn’t go through, pick the “Call me” option, it often works when text fails.

Keep your alternate email active for now so you don’t lose access.

Quick question, when you enter the number in that format, does the error say the country code is invalid or the number itself?

Regards,
Aron

Answer 2

Thanks for explaining that, it really sounds like the system is tripping over the new number format.

If the same country code worked before and now it says “invalid,” it’s likely because Microsoft’s validation still expects older ranges like 98XXXXXXXX and hasn’t fully updated for 97XXXXXXXX yet.

The best thing you can do is make sure the format is exactly +97797XXXXXXXX with no spaces or extra zeros, and try adding it from the Security info page at http://account.microsoft.com/ instead of during sign-in.

If that still fails, switch to the “Call me” option instead of SMS, sometimes that works even when text doesn’t.

Quick question: does the error show up right after you type the number, or only after you hit “Send code”?