using contact information

Question

I am trying to set up a new emergency contact email with my microsoft account. Could you please help me with that?

Answer 1

Hi, I'm John! I will help you with this.

Are you trying to add another email address you can sign in with (alias), or a recovery/security email for verification codes and account recovery?

They are set up in different places. Any additional info about the issue you can provide will be helpful in diagnosing and resolving the issue.

Answer 2

To add an emergency contact email (another email that can receive verification codes) to a Microsoft account, use the security info and alias settings for the account.

1. Go to the Microsoft account Security page: https://account.microsoft.com/security and sign in.
2. Select Manage how I sign in.
3. Select Add a new way to sign in or verify.
4. Choose Email address.
5. Enter the emergency contact email address (for example, a partner’s or family member’s email that can be accessed in an emergency) and follow the prompts.
6. A verification code will be sent to that email. Enter the code when prompted and select Next.

This email will then appear as a way to verify sign-in. It can be used to receive verification codes if access to the primary email is lost. Note that an alias of the same account cannot be added here, and organizations may restrict adding their email addresses.

If the goal is to add another email address as an alias (another sign-in address) for the Microsoft account:

1. Go to the “How you sign in” page at https://account.live.com/names/manage and sign in.
2. Select Add email.
3. Follow the instructions to add a new email address as an alias.
4. Complete the verification sent to that email.

After this, any alias on the account can be used to sign in, and verification codes can be sent to the primary alias or any email added as a way to verify sign-in.

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References:

• Microsoft account security info & verification codes
• How to add an email address or phone number to your Microsoft account
• Change the email address or phone number for your Microsoft account