Recovering the password of an Outlook (and therefore Microsoft) account may seem trivial but it is of crucial importance.
Sometimes our Outlook contains important emails, other times being a Microsoft account at the same time, it is associated with other services . We are talking about very important subscription services such as Office 365 , OneDrive , Xbox Live, Xbox Game Pass and others. So it is an account that can hold data of great value to us.
When we talk about Microsoft accounts we not only mean an e-mail account registered with the domain @ outlook.it / @ outlook.com but also an email address @ live.it / @ live.com or @ hotmail.it / @ hotmail.com .
There are also corporate Microsoft accounts with custom domains.
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Recover the password of an Outlook account from the desktop (PC, Mac)
Recovering the password using the desktop version of the Outlook website is quite simple. Sometimes you forget your password and Microsoft has implemented a simple recovery procedure. This procedure, as mentioned, applies to all Microsoft accounts (therefore also Hotmail and Live mail).
To access the recovery procedure, touch:
- go to the Outlook Web desktop page ;
- click on the ” Login” button at the top right ;
- in the schematic insert the complete address of which you want to recover the keyword;
- then press the ” Next” button ;
- in the new screen, click on “ Forgot password? “.
This is the real recovery procedure; we will be asked to choose a way to verify our identity .
The method that is most often proposed is to send an email to our recovery email address. Following this path, touch check the option and then in the appropriate field complete our recovery address, then click on ” Get code “.
Enter the email entered, retrieve the code and copy it, then paste it in the appropriate field and click on ” Next “. At this point we have come to the actual change: you will need to enter the new password of at least 8 characters twice and click on ” Next “.
Now the recovery procedure will be complete and you will be able to access your account by entering the new password.
We advise you to always enter secure keywords, to know how to choose them, we invite you to consult our article dedicated to secure passwords .
If you have not entered a recovery email, you can receive the security code by message to the telephone number entered previously . Once you have chosen the option, you will have to rewrite the number in the appropriate field and then click on ” Get code “.
At this point you will receive a message on your phone with the security code to paste on the page. Finally, you can click on ” Next ” and indicate the new password.
Retrieve Outlook password from mobile
Even using a smartphone, the same recovery procedure can be carried out, which is identical to the desktop version: the site automatically adapts to small screens while keeping the contents unchanged.
To recover the Microsoft account and a Microsoft Outlook e-mail address, you can use your smartphone by opening the mobile version of Outlook and proceeding with the same steps indicated in the previous paragraph.
Change your password after suspected intrusion
Unfortunately, email accounts are sometimes hacked and passwords stolen . If we suspect that this may have happened with our email, we need to change the password, replacing it with a more secure password .
If you have access to the account, the procedure is simple:
- log in to the Microsoft account management page ;
- once entered, click on ” Change password“.
We will be asked to re-enter the credentials and to confirm our identity with a security code sent to our email or our number. At this point you will be taken to the screen where you can change the password, perhaps replacing it with a more secure one.
The importance of recovery addresses
We have seen that recovery addresses are critical to the security of our account and to ensure that we can change the password when needed. Adding them is simple:
- go to the page dedicated to the security of Microsoft accounts;
- Click on the item “ Advanced security options” and enter the security code. Finally, click on ” Add a new access or verification mode “. On the screen it will then be possible to add a number, a recovery email or both.
