Updated: Tuesday, 23 July, 2019
Rimmy Watson
Reset your Lost Hotmail Account Password
If you have forgotten your Microsoft account password and do not have access to your account security information, the account recovery form is a tool that you can use to provide additional information so that Microsoft can make sure that you (and only you) Access your account.
The following are the best practices we have seen from customers who successfully recover their accounts.
Note: - If you have activated two-step verification for your account, you cannot use the recovery form. Enabling two-step verification prevents anyone from logging in without two forms of identification, no matter how much information they know about their account. See About two-step verification for more information.
Before you start
You will need an operational email account that you can access so we can send you information about your request. You can use any active email account, even one belonging to a friend or relative. Or, 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 on the Microsoft account login page.
Fill out the Microsoft Hotmail recovery form
- Go to account.live.com/acsr and provide the email address, phone number or username of the account you are trying to recover.
- Please provide an email address (other than the one you are trying to retrieve) that we can use to contact you about your request.
- Enter the characters you see on the screen to prove that you are not a robot, then select Next.
- A screen will appear asking you to verify the email address of the contact.
- Verify-in that email a message from us with the security code, enter that code and then select Verify.
- Complete all the information you can, even if you are not sure. See the tips for completing the recovery form below.
- Select Send when finished, and we will respond within 24 hours.
Tips to complete the Hotmail recovery form.
Prepare for success
- Complete the form from a device and a location that we will recognize, such as a device with which you have recently logged into your account and a location such as your home or office where you commonly use that device.
- Collect all the information you can about your Microsoft account and services before you begin:
- If you are an Outlook.com or Hotmail.com user, we will ask you questions about your contacts and email subject lines. Check with friends and family with whom you want to get help.
- If you have an Xbox console, you will be asked to provide the hardware ID of a console that you have used frequently. Be sure to get the ID of a console that you use a lot. If you recently purchased a new one, try to obtain the hardware ID of your old console. Here is how you can get that information:
- For Xbox One, use the Xbox Live device ID.
For Xbox 360, use the console ID. - Skype customers will be asked for SkypeID or the names of contacts in their account. If you use Skype to call mobile or landlines, you will also be asked for some of them along with details about a recent Skype purchase.