Microsoft Account Password Change

Snow.bros

Hi All,

I have forgotten my Microsoft account and now I can't recover or reset the password because Microsoft keeps asking me my old password and the whole other stuff which I cannot remember.

Does anyone here know an alternative way to reset the password because I also tried to call them and they telling me to go back to the same self service portal. I have so many things linked to my Microsoft account and now I am stuck.

scaredoftests

Reset your password. That is how I do it. I forget all the time.

gespenstern

Never forgot my password because I never remembered it in the first place as my password manager deals with these things... But when my wife forgot her MS password we had to give up her account as there was no way for her to provide all the answers MS support kept asking her.

Snow.bros

scaredoftests wrote:

Reset your password. That is how I do it. I forget all the time.

That's what I am trying to do.

gespenstern wrote: »

But when my wife forgot her MS password we had to give up her account as there was no way for her to provide all the answers MS support kept asking her.

So there is no way around this, can't afford to give up mine. I hope Microsoft knows how happy their customers are.

gespenstern

Keep trying then.

In my experience, I never really forgot any passwords, it was just it was very hard to recall them. The same story with my experiences from working with end-users. There was always that "a-ha!" moment when you recover a password for them and they realize that they know the password but just weren't able to come up with it with not hard enough efforts.

I understand that MS account is precious if you have the certs attached to it and especially if you tie it with your MSP to give them a partner status.

So I use two strategies.

1) Keep pestering their support, just do the same or use slight variations. Chances are, that yet another support monkey asks you different questions and you'll be able to recall what was in your inbox at the time, etc.

2) Open a notepad and write down all possible passwords you can recall you might have used for your account and their variations. Come up with at least 20-40 combinations. Then try them all until you lock it out, then stop for a while and resume when the lockout expires. Cycle through them not stupidly, but scientifically. If it doesn't work -- come up with even a longer list and keep trying. Use a task scheduler to remind you to try aligned with MS lockout duration so you get awaken from whatever you will be doing so you can try your several attempts.

Using these simple techniques I managed to "recall" my "forgotten" passwords at all times, I never lost control over any important account (have hundreds of them) over the course of my full 20 year career.

GoatOnABoat

It doesn't help now, but try to keep a password manager. I've been using Keepass for about 12 years now, and it's really handy to come back to something 8 years later and just have it there. I do use the same few passwords for everything, but account names/emails... those are random.

Snow.bros

Funny thing is I had stored my password for this account on Lastpass and for some reason the password changed into one of my old password don't know how that happened so don't ask me how and I have registered on Lastpass using this email account so if Lastpass asks me to verify my account I will be stuffed.