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You received an email address and a 25-character recovery code. This guide walks you through using it to take over the account.

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What You Have

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Recovery Steps

1

Go to Account Recovery

Open account.live.com/password/resetEnter the Email from your delivery and click Next.
2

Verification Screen

You’ll see one of two screens:Option A: If you see “Authenticator” page, click “Use a different verification option”Option B: If you see verification options directly, proceed to next step
3

Select Recovery Code Option

Click “I don’t have any of these” at the bottom of the options.This gets you to the recovery code entry.
4

Enter Recovery Code

Microsoft asks: “Do you have an account recovery code?”Copy and paste your 25-character recovery code, then click “Use recovery code”
5

Enter Your Contact Email

Enter YOUR own email (Gmail, etc.) — this becomes a recovery option.Microsoft sends a verification code to your email. Check your inbox, copy the code, paste it back.
6

Set Your New Password

Create a new password you’ll remember. 8 characters minimum, case sensitive.
Write this down! This is your new account password.
7

Save Your New Recovery Code

Microsoft shows a new recovery code. Your old one no longer works.
CRITICAL: Copy and save this new 25-character code somewhere safe!

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Done!

The account is now yours with:
  • Your new password
  • Your email as a recovery option
  • Your new recovery code for emergencies
You can now fully secure the account by adding 2FA, removing old security info, etc.