Register the password reset verification method for a work or school account
If you forgot your work or school password, never got a password from your organization, or have been locked out of your account, you can use your security info and your mobile device to reset your work or school password.
Set up your password reset verification method
- Open the web browser on your device and go to the Security info page.
- Depending on how your administrator has set up your organization, one or more of the following options will be available for you to set up as your security verification method. If multiple options are available, we strongly recommend that you use more than one as your security verification method, in case one of your methods becomes unavailable.
- Authentication app: Choose to use the Microsoft Authenticator app or other authenticator app as your security verification method. For more information about setting up the app, see Set up an authenticator app as your verification method.
- Text messaging: Choose to send yourself text messages to your mobile device. For more information about setting up text messaging, see Set up text messaging as your verification method.
- Phone calls: Choose to get a phone call to your registered phone number. For more information about setting up phone calls, see Set up a phone number as your verification method.
- Security key: Choose to use a Microsoft-compatible security key. For more information, see Set up a security key as your verification method.
- Email address: Choose to use an alternate email address that can be used without requiring your forgotten or missing password. This only works for password reset, not as a security verification method. For more information about setting up an email address, see Set up an email address as your verification method.
- Security questions: Choose to set up and answer pre-defined security questions set up by your administrator. This only works for password reset, not as a security verification method. For more information about security questions, see Set up security questions as your verification method.
- After you select and set up your methods, choose Finish to complete the process.
Important: Information added for your phone number or email address is not shared with your organization's global directory. The only people that can see this information are you and your administrator. Only you can see the answers to your security questions.
Common problems and their solutions
Here are some common error cases and their solutions:
|
Error message |
Possible solution |
|
Please contact your administrator. We've detected that your user account password is not managed by Microsoft. As a result, we are unable to automatically reset your password. |
If you get this error message after typing your User ID, it means that your organization internally manages your password and doesn't want you to reset your password from the Can't access your account link. To reset your password in this situation, you must contact your organization's help desk or your administrator for help. |
|
Your account is not enabled for password reset. |
If you get this error message after typing your User ID, it means that either your organization hasn't turned on the password reset feature or you aren't allowed to use it. To reset your password in this situation, you must select the Contact an administrator link. After you click the link, an email is sent to your organization's help desk or administrator, letting them know you want to reset your password. |
|
We could not verify your account. |
If you get this error message after typing your User ID, it means that your organization has turned on password reset and that you can use it, but that you haven't registered for the service. In this situation, you must contact your organization's help desk or administrator to reset your password. For information about to register for password reset after you are back on your device, see the process above in this article. |
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