Independent guide - not affiliated with or endorsed by Microsoft. We never ask for your password, codes or account details. For official help use Microsoft's account recovery form or support.microsoft.com.

Welcome to Your Microsoft Account Recovery Resource

Updated October 15, 2026.

If you've ever locked yourself out of your Microsoft account, you know how frustrating it can be. That's where aka.ms/accountrecovery comes in handy - it's Microsoft's short link to its account recovery form at account.live.com/acsr. On this site, we walk you through how to use it, why you might see warnings on your Windows PC, and the steps to get back in.

Everything here is written as plain, independent guidance and checked against Microsoft's own support pages, which we link to throughout. Whether you're dealing with a forgotten password or setting up extra security, start with the guide that matches your situation.

Start here

• Step-by-step Microsoft account recovery - how to fill in the recovery form and what to have ready.
• Recovery form not working? - why requests get declined, daily limits, and how to prepare a better second attempt.
• Microsoft account recovery code - what the 25-character code is, how to generate one, and how to use it at sign-in.
• Account locked for suspicious activity - how to unlock with a security code and what to do if it will not arrive.
• Recover a hacked Microsoft account - scan, reset, and undo the changes an attacker made, in the right order.
• Microsoft Authenticator on a new phone - back up and restore your sign-in codes when you switch devices.
• Forgot your username or email? - find the address your Microsoft account uses.
• Why warnings appear on Windows - what the account prompts mean and how to tell them from scams.
• How to open aka.ms/accountrecovery safely - checking that you are on the real Microsoft page.

Work or school account?

The recovery form is for personal Microsoft accounts such as Outlook.com, Hotmail, Xbox and Skype. Accounts issued by an employer or school are managed by that organization. For those, see our guides to aka.ms/sspr for password resets, aka.ms/mysecurity for security methods and aka.ms/mfasetup for multi-factor authentication, or browse the common aka.ms links.

Stay safe while you recover

Microsoft's recovery tools are free. No legitimate page will ask you to pay, call a number, install remote-access software or hand over a password or verification code to get your account back. Microsoft states that its own support agents cannot send password reset links or change account details, so treat anyone who offers to do that as a scam.

Quick answers

What is aka.ms/accountrecovery?

It is a Microsoft short link. As of October 2026 it redirects to account.live.com/acsr, Microsoft's free account recovery form for personal Microsoft accounts.

Is aka.ms an official Microsoft domain?

Yes. aka.ms is Microsoft's link shortener. Always check that the page you land on is on a microsoft.com or live.com address before you enter anything.

Does this website recover accounts?

No. This is an independent guide. Only Microsoft can restore access to a Microsoft account, through its sign-in helper and recovery form. We never ask for passwords or codes.

More questions are answered in our Microsoft account FAQ.