Unable to sign in

Question

I am unable to sign in. The system asks for me to finish my phone number which I do correctly and then I am asked to solve a puzzle. This is unacceptable. My email is [Moderator Note: Personal Info Removed]@msn.com

Answer 1

Hello Marsha Johnson

Please note that our forum is a public platform, and we will modify your question to hide your personal information in the description. Kindly ensure that you hide any personal or organizational information the next time you post an error or other details to protect personal data.  

I can see that you are having trouble signing in to your Microsoft account

To better understand the issue you are facing, I need to ask a few questions first:

• Where exactly are you trying to sign in?
• What happens after you enter the last digits of your phone number and complete the puzzle? Is there any error screen?
• Can you provide a screenshot of the issue?
• Have you tried signing in from another browser, private/incognito mode, or another device?

Feel free reply back to this post and update me about this issue, I'll be happy to help.

Answer 2

To regain access and sign in, follow these steps:

1. Use the official Sign-in Helper
   • Go to the Microsoft account sign-in helper: Sign-in Helper.
   • Enter the email address or mobile phone number used to sign in.
   • The tool will detect common sign-in issues and show what to do next (for example, password reset, account recovery, or security checks).
2. Complete the security checks (phone and puzzle)
   • When asked to finish the phone number, enter the full number exactly as it is saved in the account’s security info.
   • The puzzle is an automated security check to confirm that a real person is signing in. It must be completed to continue; it cannot be skipped or disabled.
3. If the account password is forgotten or not working
   • If the password is forgotten, use the password reset flow described in Reset your password.
   • If the password is known but no longer works, use the Sign-in Helper tool to identify and fix the issue.
4. If the username/email is not recognized
   • If a message appears like “We couldn't find an account with that username” or “account doesn't exist,” use the Sign-in Helper tool from the article “I can't sign in to my Microsoft account.”
5. If still unable to sign in
   • Use the Microsoft account recovery form referenced under “Help with the Microsoft account recovery form” in the same article to prove ownership and recover access.

For Outlook.com / Hotmail / MSN email access specifically, sign in via Outlook.com using the Microsoft account username and password, and if sign-in fails, use the account troubleshooter: Open account troubleshooter.

---

References:

• I can't sign in to my Microsoft account
• How to sign in to Outlook.com
• I've forgotten my Skype user name or password