How do i retrieve my microsoft password

Q: Can I recover old Microsoft password?

If youve forgotten your Windows password, there are several ways to retrieve or reset it: If your PC is on a domain, your system administrator must reset your password. If youre using a Microsoft account, you can reset your password online. For more info, go to the Reset your password webpage.

The steps below describe how to change a known password. If you need to reset your password because you forgot it, see Reset your Microsoft account password instead.

Table of Contents Show

Change your password
Before you begin filling out the form
1. Have a working email
2. Fill out the form using a recognized device and location
More tips when filling out the recovery form
Outlook.com or hotmail.com accounts
Xbox console
After you submit the form
How do I find out my Microsoft password?
Can I recover old Microsoft password?
What can I do if I can't recover my Microsoft account?
Is my Microsoft account password the same as my email password?

Change your password

Go to account.microsoft.com and if you’re not already signed in, sign in with the username and current password for the account you want to update.
From the navigation header, select Security and because you’re accessing sensitive info, you’ll need to enter the password for this account again.
From the Password security tile, select Change my password.
On the Change your password page, enter your current password and then enter your new password.
For additional security, select the optional checkbox which prompts you to update your password every 72 days.

This step assumes you've tried Reset a forgotten Microsoft account password, but your attempt wasn't successful. If you already tried this but it didn't work, use our Sign In Helper tool.

Before you begin filling out the form

The steps below will help guide you when filling out the account recovery form. It can be a lengthy process as it's designed to ask questions about your account that only you can answer. Microsoft will review your answers and respond within 24 hours.

Improve your chances to successfully recover your account by reading through the following guidance first.

Important: The account recovery form can only be used if two-step verification isn't turned on.

1. Have a working email

You'll need a working email account that you can access. We'll use this account to send you information about your request. You can use any active email account, even one belonging to a friend or relative. If you don’t have another email account that you can access, you can create a temporary outlook.com account for free by selecting Create one at the Microsoft account sign in page.

Note: The working email account you provide will only be used to contact you about your account recovery form and won’t be used for any other purpose.

2. Fill out the form using a recognized device and location

If possible, complete the form using a device you previously used to sign into your account and at a location where you commonly use that device and that we'll recognize, such as your home or office.

When you're ready, you can find the recovery form here:

Account recovery form

More tips when filling out the recovery form

The recovery form is available at https://account.live.com/acsr.

Collect as much information as you can about any Microsoft services you may have used with this account. The more information you can include when filling out the form, the better the chance you’ll have of regaining access to your account.

Answer as many questions as you can as thoroughly as possible. If you’re not sure, guessing is ok — wrong answers don’t count against you. When you get to a question that lets you “add more," fill in as much information as you are able.

You'll be asked questions that are specific to the account you're trying to recover. If you used the account with any of the products and services below, these are the kinds of things to know:

Outlook.com or hotmail.com accounts

We’ll ask you questions about your contacts and email subject lines. Check with friends and family that you may have corresponded with from that account for help.
Email subject lines need to be exact.
When you enter your email address, keep in mind that some domains may be country specific such as @outlook.co.uk.
If you’ve had your account for several years, the details on file may not match your current situation, so think about what you may have entered when you first signed up. Is it possible that you moved or changed your name?

Skype

You'll be asked for the SkypeID or names of contacts on their account. If you use Skype to call mobile or landline phones, you’ll also be asked for some of those along with details about a recent Skype purchase.

Xbox console

You'll be asked to provide the hardware ID of a console that you’ve used frequently. Make sure you get the ID from a console you use a lot. If you recently bought a new one, try to get the hardware ID from your old console. For more information about recovering accounts you use with an Xbox console, see Reset or recover your lost Microsoft account password.

Passwords

Think about passwords that you use on other accounts that you may have used here. List old passwords you may have used. Check your web browsers to see if you saved a password there. For help with how to check for saved passwords here are a few suggestions from common browsers and tools:

For passwords you may have saved to Microsoft Edge or Windows Web Credentials, see Save or forget passwords in Microsoft Edge or Accessing Credential Manager
If you use a Chrome browser, see Manage passwords
For passwords saved to Mac or iOS devices, see View the information stored in a keychain on Mac or Set up iCloud Keychain

After you submit the form

We'll send the results of your recovery request to the working email address you provided at the beginning of the form within 24 hours.

Your next steps depend on whether we could verify your account:

We could not verify your account

We verified your account

Keep trying as many times as you want, up to two times per day.

We'll use the same working email to send you instructions for how to sign back into your account.

Once you're able to get back into your account, review How to help keep your Microsoft account safe and secure. Here you'll find guidance for how to secure your account going forward, make it easier to reset a password, and provide additional methods you can use to verify your account.

How do I find out my Microsoft password?

Reset a forgotten Microsoft account password.

Select Forgot password? If the Enter password window is still open select Forgot password? ... .

Verify your identity. For your protection, Microsoft must verify your identity before you can proceed with resetting your password. ... .

Get a verification code. ... .

Enter code and reset password..

Can I recover old Microsoft password?

If you've forgotten your Windows password, there are several ways to retrieve or reset it: If your PC is on a domain, your system administrator must reset your password. If you're using a Microsoft account, you can reset your password online. For more info, go to the Reset your password webpage.

What can I do if I can't recover my Microsoft account?

If you cannot recover your account, please go to https://account.live.com/acsrand submit a separate support request to Microsoft account recovery support to get a new password.

Is my Microsoft account password the same as my email password?

Your Outlook.com password is the same as your Microsoft account password. Go to Microsoft account security and select Password security. As a security measure, you might be prompted to verify your identity with a security code.