{"id":30618,"date":"2025-08-11T08:51:20","date_gmt":"2025-08-11T12:51:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thundercloud.net\/infoave\/new\/?p=30618"},"modified":"2025-08-11T08:51:20","modified_gmt":"2025-08-11T12:51:20","slug":"forgot-your-microsoft-account-password-heres-how-to-recover-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thundercloud.net\/infoave\/new\/forgot-your-microsoft-account-password-heres-how-to-recover-it\/","title":{"rendered":"Forgot Your Microsoft Account Password? Here&#8217;s How to Recover it"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong><span style=\"font-size: 24pt; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;\">Forgot Your Microsoft Account Password? Here&#8217;s How to Recover it<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;\">With the end of support for Windows 10 approaching, many of you will likely consider taking advantage of Microsoft&#8217;s Extended Security Updates (ESU), which will enable you to use Windows 10 safely until October 2026. To take advantage of Microsoft ESU, you&#8217;ll need your Microsoft password. If you&#8217;ve forgotten yours, we will show you how to recover it..<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong><span style=\"font-size: 18pt; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;\">Here is our step-by-step guide on how to recover a forgotten Microsoft password:<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;\">Step 1: Go to the Microsoft Account Recovery Page<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;\">Open a web browser and navigate to the official Microsoft password reset page: <a href=\"https:\/\/account.live.com\/password\/reset\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">https:\/\/account.live.com\/password\/reset<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;\">Step 2: Enter Your Microsoft Account Information<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;\">Enter the email address, phone number, or Skype name associated with your Microsoft account.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;\">Click Next.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;\">Step 3: Choose a Verification Method<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;\">Microsoft will present you with options to verify your identity. These are typically the security information you previously added to your account. Common options include:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;\">Email a code to an alternate email address: A code will be sent to a backup email you&#8217;ve provided.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;\">Text a code to your phone number: A code will be sent via SMS to your registered phone number.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;\">I don&#8217;t have any of these: If you can&#8217;t access any of the above, you&#8217;ll need to use the account recovery form (see Step 6).<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;\">Step 4: Enter the Verification Code<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;\">Check your email or phone for the verification code.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;\">Enter the code in the provided field on the Microsoft website.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;\">Click Next.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;\">Step 5: Reset Your Password<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;\">Once your identity is verified, you will be prompted to create a new password.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;\">Choose a strong, unique password that you haven&#8217;t used before. A good password should include a mix of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;\">Confirm the new password.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;\">Click Next to finalize the change.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;\"><em><strong>Step 6 (only when necessary):<\/strong><\/em> What if You Don&#8217;t Have Access to Your Security Info?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;\">If you don&#8217;t have access to your alternate email or phone number, you&#8217;ll need to use the account recovery form.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;\">On the password reset page, after entering your email address, select &#8220;I don&#8217;t have any of these.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;\">Fill out the recovery form:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;\">You&#8217;ll be asked to provide as much information as possible to prove you own the account. This may include:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;\">Your full name and birth date.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;\">The subject lines of recent emails you&#8217;ve sent.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;\">Names of contacts in your address book.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;\">Any past passwords you remember using?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;\">Credit card information if you have purchased anything from Microsoft (e.g., MS 365, OneDrive, Xbox Live).<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;\">Submit the form. Microsoft will review the information.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;\">Wait for a response. It can take a few business days for Microsoft to review your submission. They will contact you at the alternate email address you provided in the form.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;\">Important: The more accurate and detailed information you can provide, the higher the chance of a successful recovery.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;\">Tips to Avoid Losing Access in the Future<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;\">Update your security information regularly: Make sure your recovery phone number and email address are current.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;\">Use a password manager: This can help you create and store strong, unique passwords for all your accounts.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;\">Enable two-factor authentication (2FA): This adds an extra layer of security, requiring a second form of verification (like a code from your phone) in addition to your password.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;\">Use a Passkey.<\/span><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; color: #999999;\"><em>This tip was written in response to Nora and others who had questions about Microsoft&#8217;s EAU program and its Microsoft Account requirement. Thanks for your questions and comments!<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp; Forgot Your Microsoft Account Password? Here&#8217;s How to Recover it With the end of support for Windows 10 approaching, many of you will likely consider taking advantage of Microsoft&#8217;s Extended Security Updates (ESU), which will enable you to use Windows 10 safely until October 2026. To take advantage of Microsoft ESU, you&#8217;ll need your Microsoft password. If\u2026 <span class=\"read-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thundercloud.net\/infoave\/new\/forgot-your-microsoft-account-password-heres-how-to-recover-it\/\">Read More &raquo;<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":13597,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2509,2942,10],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thundercloud.net\/infoave\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30618"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thundercloud.net\/infoave\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thundercloud.net\/infoave\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thundercloud.net\/infoave\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thundercloud.net\/infoave\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=30618"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.thundercloud.net\/infoave\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30618\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":30623,"href":"https:\/\/www.thundercloud.net\/infoave\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30618\/revisions\/30623"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thundercloud.net\/infoave\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13597"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thundercloud.net\/infoave\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30618"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thundercloud.net\/infoave\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30618"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thundercloud.net\/infoave\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30618"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}