Now that I’ve moved into the world of Windows 8, I’m finally trying to get started with SkyDrive and find that it requires I log in to my Microsoft Account. I never even knew I had a Microsoft account, actually, but my guess is that it’s based on my Hotmail account info or something. In any case, I can’t remember my password. What’s my option to regain access and recover my password?
You’re right about your Microsoft Account being based on previous accounts you might have set up with different Microsoft properties, notably either Windows Live Messenger or Hotmail (now called Outlook.com, of course). However you slice it, really the easiest way to deal with a lost password is to simply set up a new account and start over. But that’s tedious and it can be annoying to have multiple accounts and not know what’s what.
As with every other service, however, Microsoft has a password recovery program, though it’s really a “verify your identity and we’ll let you reset your password to something new” if you really want to be honest about it. Thing is, Microsoft keeps track of all your old passwords (presumably in an encrypted manner, so they’re not all just sitting on a server somewhere in the clear, waiting to have some enterprising hacker extract everything!). As you’ll see, shortly!
When I was recently writing about SkyDrive I had the same issue, actually, that I couldn’t remember my account password. Here’s how I fixed things…
First off, I logged in to my Microsoft account. Or thought I did, but it turns out that, well, the password I entered was incorrect:
After trying a number of possibilities, I cried “uncle!” and clicked on the “Can’t access your account?” link, which took me to one of those accursed captcha things:
You know the drill, enter your account email address and the letters represented by the captcha to prove you’re human, not a robot. In this case, it’s HSKWWtKY. Then click “Next”.
There are two main ways you can reset your account password, either by having a temporary one-use password emailed to the primary email address you’ve specified for your account or, if you have been smart enough to register your cellphone number with the Microsoft account management system in the past, have them send you a code to your phone.
I’ll choose the latter, it’s faster and more instant gratification, by clicking on the button adjacent to “Send a code to my phone”.
It then shows a confirmation of what number it’s going to use by just listing the last two digits:
Click on “Send code” and a moment or two later a text message shows up on your phone similar to this:
Enter that code too (it’s a one-time code, so don’t get too excited I published it here) then click on “Submit”. Now you’ve proved you’re who you say you are, or at least that you have access to that particular cell phone, and you’re ready to proceed:
If you think you can just use your previous password or another one that you “always” use on different sites — which really isn’t a very good idea — then it’ll complain once you’ve entered it twice and clicked on “Next” again:
No worries, just pick a new password. Easy trick: append a punctuation mark or two, so “doris” could become “doris!!” and voila, it’s a new password.
Enter your desired password twice, click “Next” and it’ll take you directly to a log in page:
As always, if you’re on your own computer and it’s secure, check “Keep me signed in”, but definitely do not do if it’s a shared device of any type. Enter your email and the new password you just entered, and click on “Sign in”.
Now Microsoft Account center will actually prompt you to update your personal information that’s on file. Smart idea to do so!
You can see that I always ensure that my cellphone — without which it couldn’t have sent me that text message — and alternative email address are shown. While I’m here, I’ll also add a security question, just for additional insurance against potentially forgetting or losing my password again.
Miss email passworad
Sir I am forgot my live account password. I will take all the matter you say.But code was not sent to me.
sir,i forgot my all information of microsoft account.ii was tried a lot bt im unble to make it..while purchasing the phone the dealer set this account fr me bt now i dont have any information of my account..what i should have to do for this..i dont have any single information..i totally forgot everything except my email adress of microsoft.plz help me out from..its important for me to open my account..plz..i want help..
what should i do if i make an accont on microsoft and i can’t open my pc co’z i make that account not seriously i put a wrong information about me on that . now i need to open my pc badly because all my files are there and i need it now. i hope you answer my question . thanks!
Please how do i reset my microsoft account?
cant access my Microsoft account for, I put in an error in email address without realizing the input was wrong
i gave an incorrect e add and i can’t change it
Microsoft ohohoo I have to think …I set my password for long time and now microsoft say no that is not your pass word trying this triying , triying for every where and never find out !
what happen …my phone has been changed where the space to change my phone number ? it’s a mistery why so complicated simple thing ?
Microsoft never answer !
Dave, My windows phone crashed. The replacement phone will not transfer all of my stuff without accessing my ancient microsoft account. I attempted to complete the “I forgot my password” verification process several times, answering all of their questions (subjects, addresses of recent sent emails etc) to verify my email is actually me, each time being denied!) Now microsoft is recommending I setup a new account. If I setup a new account, I’m sure this would not provide access to my old phone. I am on a time crunch, as I have to send the defective phone back to the company! Any help you can provide would be greatly appreciated! Thank you in advance!
I can’t log on to my laptop because I forgot my Microsoft account password. Please help me
I have forgotten my password.please help fix my problem
I have lost my phone and I don’t remember my Microsoft account . . Everything is linked to that I’d . How do I get my Microsoft account back
Thank you I will try all this later a bit tired at the mo been on line far to long today
i never set yup a microsoft account with my windows phone and now i have lost my phone and when i go to windows find my phone, the phone does not appear nor does a map. I want to erase my phone but cannot figure out any way to do this.. Please help!!!!!!!!!
I can’t log on to my laptop because I forgot my first Microsoft account password. I still have the first code for the first password. Please how can I recover it back.
Tina, what happens if you click on ‘forgot password’ and have a recovery link emailed to you? Do you have access to a different computer where you can get to your email?
why has microsoft required and old password just created password its a fustration setup know clear answer never used microsoft
hi dave.. im helping a friend recovering his microsoft account. the problem is, it’s not the password that he can’t remember but his Microsoft email thus we cannot proceed with reset password since he doesn’t know his email (he has several since his previous phone was an Android). Please shoot me an email. jldorado326@hotmail.com
It’s a good idea ? to let your past friends knows that you want to be with them again so let chat.
Please Dave…I am having the same problem…I can’t reset without my old password…where do I go from here?
Me reset my Microsoft account password but now I don’t know my old password by this cause me not Abel to start my laptop my laptop asking my old password that’s why me not Abel to open my laptop so what I do now please give me suggestions
I forgot my Windows Phone Microsoft account password,,so I can’t install any more apps. I tried so many times to reset the password..The problem is,,,the account name’s text box field is disabled, only password text box field enabled. So what can I do if there is no other options,,,any help?
i have also faced the same issue yet i couldnt get /reset my password please help?
I forgot my password so I am unable to receive any e mails. How do I recover my password?
I am trying to use Contana. I reset my password finally because I forgot what it was originally. Now I am almost done until they ask me to say goodbye to my old password what?!?!?!? How can I do that if the reason I reset it was because I could not remember it. That just makes no sense to me and I can’t seem to go around that.
Any ideas.
I now have windows 10 I was going to start up cortana, it wants me to log into microsoft account but using the old password 1 more time, I don’t remember my old password, if I did I wouldn’t have change the one I had? help
Same here Lloyd. I even used my fone number when i first opened my microsoft account in case this ever happened. When i use it for verification they send a code via my cell. I thought id cracked it but then it asked for my old password one more time!! I don’t understand this request i thought the whole process was because you lost or forgot the old password? I feel completely lost regarding Windows/Microsoft. I can use my Outlook account but i can’t access some apps plus other new stuff on Wins 10. Please help a confused and pissed of Irish man.
I’m having the exact same issue. Who’s the idiot that doesn’t realize that I just reset my password because I couldn’t remember my old password so how the hell am I supposed to move on to the next step?!?!
cannot download apps or anything because Microsoft makes it so hard to find, get, make, email and password
When I try to long into my Windows account, it tells me there is no such account. When I try to create a new account, using the same email address as my ID, it says that there is already an account with that ID.
Any help here?
I am trying to reset my password (Windows XP)..I know it is outdated, thank you.
I have been sent two new codes by email and one by phone and when they were entered i was informed that ”it” was not the correct code.
So now what do I do??
Thanks
I have an account with Microsoft Store but was unable to look at the Account having forgot my
my Pass Word.
I have tried several times trying to retrieve it with NO success. Are you able to help. On the
hand can I cancel this account and open a new one.
My laptop is stuck on hotmail and requires password to get into in my laptop.never used hotmail but says have account in name maureenkent45@hotmail.com. can you help thank you
Can you help me get signed into Microsoft, as I wanted to access contana
I am trying to get into an old email I created over 10 yrs ago. I forgot my password and I did not have a primary (another)email or phone number on file. I tried several times to “verify” my identity but every time I try the hotmail team says my identity cannot be verified. I made the account! How can I get back into my email account. I am so frustrated. Who can remember their password from 10 yrs ago after getting married and having a baby.
I changed the account password once and I don’t remember what it was change to. PLEASE HELP!
Please help to reset and recover my lost Microsoft account.
Help need to recover or re set my micro soft password
Hi Dave,I want to install windows 8.1 in my phone but I have forgotten my micelrosoft account password.i can’t recover it.please help
I forgot my password and have sent my last four number but no reply for one week now please let me no why you are not responding
Help please windows 7
Um, help with what, Michael? 🙂
No Help Here. Seems Mr. Dave Taylor doesn’t bother to respond to our questions or concerns.
Not sure why you’d say that, Cathy. I can’t *recover* passwords for people, nor do I have a secret back channel into the security team at Microsoft. I can only offer helpful tips and information, it’s up to YOU to do something with it. 🙂
It is a problem that I don’t think Dave can answer. It’s an internal problem of Microsoft and Windows 10. When you try to get started and set up CORTANA it asks for old Microsoft password.I set new password and still won’t work. I then had a Microsoft tech hook up with my pc and he spent 2 hours and could not get it to work either.
Until Windows 10 fixes it we shit out of luck. and because we don’t have Cortana , I found I can’t get apps out of the store either..It always says..”We ran into problem,sure it’s on our end , try later”
i lost my microsoft account how can i get it back my old one
I am helping someone that just purchased a new computer w/W8, and signed up to My Account. Needed to change the password (MS notified us of a change thru his email); until then it worked well. When we tried to sign back in we were told the account doesn’t exist.
We tried w/both the old and new password, (with all the recommended procedures) but kept getting back the account didn’t exist.
Tried to set up a new account, but was informed the ACCOUNT ALREADY EXIST. Now the W8 sign on won’t recognize us, which means we can’t access the computer and all the above messages appear. What a disaster for a simple task that works at all web sites. The reset My Account reset website is bush league at best.
Can’t sign into MS support for any help because We keep being thrown into the loop above.
Don’t want to hear buy an Apple suggestion. Just need a fix.
The computer is on; How do we get back in once it’s rebooted?
Hope do we solve this mess?
Microsoft has a lot of fixing to do.
This whole episode started because of cancelled support for XP!!! Trying to get in touch with MS support is non-existent when we can’t sign to My Account.
Can’t go through this process every time we change a password.
I want to reset my Microsoft account, I don’t know how to do it, seems like I have forgotten my password, now I can’t download anything because of it. Plzz help
Unfortunately I also can’t recover my email account online from Microsoft’s website. Eventually I successfully gain back to my laptop by replacing the Microsoft account login using PCUnlocker Live CD. Thank you!
sorry sir i have try many time to give email and thay replay me or sent me the code by email but thay want second step as text on mobile but my number is correcte and its on always this cell numer in my using but when i try to give my number to it then i didnt receive any code or sms of the microsoft account i dont know what happend to my account plz plz help p;z
this didn’t answer my question at all
I could not get my Microsoft account pass word as i have forgotten the original password
I have tried at least a dozen times following your methods
I get to change password ok then when I try to sign in message reads account not known I have done this loads of times today message reads the same
I cannot activate my product because Microsoft wont let me
as I have used product code once when when I first got soft wear then lost it when pc crashed
I am well stuck any advise