How do i find my microsoft recovery code

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How do I receive a 25-character recovery code?

Latest post: Mubarak, Tuesday, May 27, 2014 1:12 AM

MSN is presenting to me the following text "Your recovery code is 25 characters long and looks like this: XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX."  How do I get this code for my MSN dial-up account?

239 of 390 people found this post helpful.

Hi,

This recovery code can be used to validate your account every time you sign in from a different location instead of validating through alternate email address or the phone number. To generate a recovery please follow the below steps.

1. Sign in to Account.live.com with your email address and password.
2. Click on security and password on the left hand side menu.
3. Once validate the account, click on generate recovery code.
4. It will provide you a 20 digit code which can be used N number of times to get access your account.

Regards,

Mubarak

171 of 413 people found this post helpful.

Here at Ask Leo!, I hear from people with lost, hacked and inaccessible accounts daily.

Nowhere does this seem to happen more frequently than with Hotmail and Outlook.com accounts (now known simply as Microsoft accounts).

Given the increased importance of Microsoft accounts for everything from email to cloud services, and even the ability to log in to your PC, losing access to that account can have dramatic and dire consequences.

Microsoft has instituted a fairly obscure security measure that can help you regain access to your account should you lose it: the recovery code. The only “catch” is that you have to set it up before you need it.

So let’s set it up right now.

A recovery code can get you back in to your Microsoft account when other techniques, like alternate email addresses and phones, cannot. Set one up before you need it by signing into your account, and visiting More security settings. Save the security code in a secure location such that it’s available whenever and wherever you might need it to sign in to your account later.

Getting a recovery code

Recovery codes are generated by Microsoft, and must be retrieved before you need them. Once you have a recovery code, you keep it in a safe place until you need it.

To get a recovery code, begin by logging into your account1 and clicking on your avatar/picture (or the default placeholder) in the upper right. Then click on View account.

Depending on the width of your display window, you’ll either have a full menu bar across the top, or you’ll need to click a small down-arrow next to the word Account on the menu bar. In either case, click on Security & privacy.

On the resulting page, click on More security settings.

At this point, you may be asked to confirm your identity again, using a text or phone message or alternate email address. This added layer of security is important, as it confirms that you are indeed the person who owns the account, and that you are the person who can rightfully create and hold the account recovery code.

Once you’ve passed this additional layer of security, you’ll land on the “Security settings” page.

Scroll down and look for the section labeled “Recovery code”.

Click on Get recovery code (or Replace recovery code if you already have one).

Your new recovery code is displayed. The code is lengthy, and actually looks a little like a product key. Any previous recovery code you may have had for this account is no longer valid.

Storing your recovery code

Your recovery code is important, but also sensitive. It should not be shared with anyone, and must be stored securely. Anyone with the recovery code could be able to hijack your account.

Recommendations:

• Print it (as Microsoft suggests) and store the paper in a safe place.
• Save (or print) it as a PDF, and store the resulting file in a secure location, such as an encrypted TrueCrypt vault.
• Copy/paste the code to a text file, spread sheet, or other document file, and save that file in a secure location.

I save it to a file (so I can copy/paste it when needed, instead of having to type it in) and keep that file in an encrypted location.

Using your recovery code

There are various scenarios in which you can use your recovery code to regain access to your Microsoft account.

As we saw in How do I get into my Hotmail/Outlook.com account if I don’t have the recovery phone or email any more?, Microsoft may ask you if you have one as one of your account recovery options.

If you do have one, it’s kind of like a free pass to regaining control of your account.

And if you’ve followed the instructions above, you now have one.

Hopefully you’ll never need it, but if you found this article helpful, you’ll love Confident Computing! My weekly email newsletter is full of articles that help you solve problems, stay safe, and increase your confidence with technology.

Subscribe now, and I’ll see you there soon,

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Note: This article does get updated from time to time, as Microsoft changes the interface to access your Microsoft Security Settings (though there’s typically a delay).

1: You must be able to log in to your account. If you cannot log in to your account, you cannot generate this type of recovery code. This is why I stress that you need to set this up before you need it.

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