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Microsoft Account Recovery Code: Where to Find It and How to Use It
Published October 15, 2026. Updated October 15, 2026.
A Microsoft account recovery code is a backup key you create while you still have access to your account. If you later forget your password, lose your phone, or someone takes over the account, the code lets you prove ownership without waiting for the account recovery form. This guide explains what the code is, why you cannot "look up" an old one, how to make a new one, how to use it at sign-in, and how it differs from the BitLocker recovery key that people often confuse it with.
What the recovery code is
According to Microsoft's support article How to get a Microsoft account recovery code, it is a 25-character code that helps you regain access if you forget your password or your account is compromised. It works as an extra security method alongside your phone number, alternate email and authenticator app. Because it can replace all of them in an emergency, it is as sensitive as your password: anyone holding it can use it to take over the account.
Where to find your recovery code
This is the part that surprises most people: there is nowhere to find an existing code. Microsoft does not store a copy you can view or download later. The only places a code exists are wherever you wrote it down, printed it or saved it when you created it. If you cannot find that copy, you have two options:
- You can still sign in: generate a new code (steps below). The old one stops working at the same moment, which is exactly what you want if you have lost track of it.
- You cannot sign in: use the Microsoft account sign-in helper linked from Microsoft's support pages, or the recovery form at account.live.com/acsr (the destination of aka.ms/accountrecovery). Our page on what to do when the recovery form is not working helps if that route has already failed.
How to generate a new recovery code
Microsoft's article lists these steps:
- Go to the "Manage how I sign in" page at account.live.com/proofs/manage/additional and sign in to your Microsoft account.
- Scroll to the Recovery code section.
- Select Generate a new code.
- Print the code, or write it down carefully, and store it somewhere safe.
Microsoft advises against storing the code on a device you use to sign in to the account. If that laptop or phone is lost or stolen, the code would go with it. A printed copy kept with other important papers, or an entry in a password manager that is protected separately, is far safer than a screenshot in your phone's photo gallery.
Every time you generate a code, all previous codes stop working immediately. If you keep a paper copy in two places, update both.
How to use the code to get back in
The sign-in screens change from time to time and depend on the security info on your account, but Microsoft's current article describes this path:
- Enter your username on the Microsoft account sign-in page.
- If you cannot use any verification method or have forgotten your password, select Other ways to sign in.
- Select Use my password, then Forgot password?
- Select Use a different verification option, then I don't have any of these.
- When asked "Do you have an account recovery code?", enter the code. Case does not matter, and you do not need spaces or dashes.
- Once the code is accepted, set a new password.
Microsoft notes that if two-step verification is turned on, changes made this way take 30 days to take effect. That waiting period protects you if someone else got hold of your code, so plan for it rather than trying to work around it.
Recovery code vs BitLocker recovery key
Search suggestions show that many people mix these up. They are different things:
- Microsoft account recovery code - 25 characters, restores access to your Microsoft account. You create it yourself on the security page and Microsoft cannot show it again.
- BitLocker recovery key - a numeric key that unlocks an encrypted Windows drive when the PC asks for it at startup. If the key was backed up to your Microsoft account, it is listed at aka.ms/myrecoverykey, which redirects to account.microsoft.com/devices/recoverykey.
If your PC shows a blue BitLocker screen, the account recovery code will not help; look up the BitLocker key instead. Our list of common aka.ms links shows where each short link leads.
Work and school accounts are different
Recovery codes belong to personal Microsoft accounts. Work or school accounts issued by an organization use the organization's own reset tools - often aka.ms/sspr for password resets and aka.ms/mysecurity for security methods. If you cannot get into a work or school account, your IT administrator is the right contact.
Keep the code safe from scams
Because the recovery code can unlock your account, scammers try to get it. Treat any message, pop-up or caller asking for it as a red flag. Microsoft states that its support agents cannot send password reset links or access or change account details, so a genuine helper never needs your code, password or one-time verification codes. If you think someone has seen your code, sign in and generate a new one straight away, then review your security info and recent activity. Our page on why account warnings appear on Windows explains which prompts are genuine.
A simple routine
Once a year, or whenever you change phones, sign in to the security page, confirm your phone number and alternate email are current, and decide whether to generate a fresh recovery code. Pair this with the steps in our MFA setup guide and you are unlikely to ever need the recovery form.
Frequently asked questions
Where can I find my existing Microsoft account recovery code?
You cannot. Microsoft does not let you view or download a code you generated earlier. If you can still sign in, generate a new code from the security page; if you cannot sign in, use Microsoft's sign-in helper or the recovery form instead.
How long is a Microsoft account recovery code?
It is 25 characters long. When you enter it, Microsoft says case does not matter and you do not need to type spaces or dashes.
Does generating a new code cancel the old one?
Yes. Creating a new recovery code immediately stops every earlier code from working, so replace any printed copy you kept.
Is the recovery code the same as a BitLocker recovery key?
No. The account recovery code restores access to your Microsoft account. A BitLocker recovery key unlocks an encrypted Windows drive and is listed separately, at aka.ms/myrecoverykey for keys backed up to your Microsoft account.
Should I give my recovery code to support staff?
No. Anyone with the code can use it to take over your account. Microsoft support agents cannot send password reset links or change account details, so there is no reason for anyone to ask for it.