Change email for password resets

Hi, I'm John!

Have you tried resetting the password online instead?

I suggest resetting the password, choosing the "I don't have any of these" option, and continuing with the form.

To reset your password, please follow these steps:

• Go to the Microsoft account recovery page: https://account.live.com/password/reset
• Select "I forgot my password", then click Next.
• Enter the email address or phone number linked to your Microsoft account and follow the on-screen instructions.
• If you don’t have access to any of the recovery options listed, click on “I don’t have any of these” and fill out the form as accurately as possible. Microsoft uses that information to verify your identity.

If you have any further questions or concerns please let me know.

Click "Add comment" to let me know.

To change the email used for password resets and verification on an MSN (Microsoft) account, update the security/alias information on the Microsoft account and add a new email that is accessible.

For a personal Microsoft/Outlook/MSN account:

1. Go to the Microsoft account alias/security management page:
   • Sign in at https://account.live.com/names/manage (if prompted).
2. Under Your info / account aliases, choose one of the following:
   • Add email to add a new email address that can be used for verification and sign-in.
   • Optionally Remove the old work email if it is no longer needed.
3. After adding the new email, it can be used as:
   • A sign-in alias.
   • A destination for verification codes (if set as primary alias or added as a verification method).

If the goal is specifically to change the email used as a verification method for sign-in/password reset (security info):

1. Sign in to the Microsoft account and go to the Security info / verification section (for work/school this is via My Account → Security info):
   • Select Add method and choose Email.
   • Enter the new email address (not a work or school email if it’s a work/school account scenario) and verify it with the code sent.
2. Once the new email is added and verified, remove the old work email from the security info list so codes are no longer sent there.

Important notes from the documentation:

• Verification codes sent by email can only be sent to the primary alias or another email that has been explicitly added as a way to verify sign-in.
• Organizations may restrict adding certain email addresses (for work/school accounts).
• When removing aliases, be careful not to remove an alias that is still needed; for Microsoft-domain aliases (like @hotmail.com, @outlook.com, @msn.com), removing the alias permanently deletes it and it cannot be re-used on any Microsoft account.

References:

• Change the email address or phone number for your Microsoft account
• Set up an email address as your verification method
• Add or remove an email alias in Outlook.com
• Common problems with two-step verification for a work or school account