Email Password

Question

How do I recover the password for my Outlook email account?

Answer 1

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

Are you trying to recover the password for a personal Outlook.com account (Hotmail, Live, MSN) or a work/school account?

If you have forgotten the password https://account.live.com/password/reset can you still access the recovery email address or phone number linked to the account?

Also, what happens when you try to sign in? Do you see a message that the password is incorrect, or are you unable to complete the account recovery process?

Answer 2

To recover the password for an Outlook.com (Outlook web/Hotmail/Live/MSN) email account, use Microsoft’s password reset and account recovery tools.

1. Go to the Microsoft account password reset page for Outlook.com/Hotmail/Live:
   • https://account.live.com/password/reset
2. Choose the reason you need to reset your password (for example, “I forgot my password”), then select Next.
3. Enter the Outlook email address and follow the prompts.
4. When asked to verify identity, choose how to receive a verification code (email, text, etc.), then enter the code sent to that method.
5. Create a new password when prompted and finish the flow.

If that does not work or you cannot complete the login flow:

1. Use the dedicated recovery tool at https://account.live.com/pw.
2. If still unable to sign in, use the account recovery form at https://account.live.com/acsr and provide as much accurate information as possible about the account.

For detailed guidance on resetting a forgotten Microsoft account password (including Outlook.com):

1. Start at the Microsoft account sign-in page, select Forgotten your password?, or go directly to the Reset password page from this article: Reset a forgotten Microsoft account password.
2. Step 1: Enter the Outlook.com email address and select Next.
3. Step 2: Verify identity by choosing a verification option. If none of the verification options are accessible or recognizable, use the appropriate sign-in helper tool linked in the article.
4. Step 3: Confirm where to send the verification code, select Get code, then retrieve the code from the chosen email or phone.
5. Step 4: Enter the verification code, then create and confirm a new password.

If the account uses two-step verification and none of the security methods are available, the automated recovery process (including the recovery form) is the only supported way to regain access.

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References:

• How can I recover my password for Microsoft accounts, including Outlook.com, Hotmail, Live, MSN, Onenote, etc.?
• Reset a forgotten Microsoft account password
• Updating your email account password.
• Outlook for iOS Help