# Microsoft Account Recovery Code: Create It and Use It > A Microsoft account recovery code can get you back in when every other method fails. Learn how to generate the 25-digit code, store it and sign in with it. - URL: https://www.awarexone.com/research/microsoft-account-recovery-code - Author: Md Shariar Shanaz Shuvon, Founder & CEO, AwareXone - Published: 2026-10-20 - Topics: Microsoft, Account recovery, Two-factor authentication - Related service: Account security: https://www.awarexone.com/services/account-security ## Short answer Sign in and open the Manage how I sign in page at account.live.com/proofs/manage/additional, then select Generate a new code under Recovery code. Print it and keep it off your sign-in devices. To use it, choose Other ways to sign in, then Forgot password, then I don't have any of these, and enter the code. ## Summary - A Microsoft account recovery code is a 25-digit code for when you forget your password or are compromised. - Generate it at account.live.com/proofs/manage/additional; a new code makes old ones stop working. - Microsoft says you cannot retrieve or download an existing code, only create a new one. - Print it and do not store it on a device you use to sign in. - With two-step verification on, changes after using the code take 30 days to take effect. Most Microsoft account lockouts come down to losing a verification method: a phone number that changed, an authenticator app on a lost phone, or an old recovery email. The recovery code is Microsoft's backstop. It is a 25-digit code that lets you reset your password when nothing else works, but it only helps if you create it in advance and store it properly. This guide covers how to generate it, where to keep it and the exact sign-in route that uses it. Last checked: 20 October 2026 against Microsoft Support. ## What is a Microsoft account recovery code? Microsoft describes it as a 25-digit code used to help you regain access to your account if you forget your password or if your account is compromised ([Microsoft Support](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/accounts-billing/manage/how-to-get-a-microsoft-account-recovery-code)). It works as one more verification option alongside your phone, email and authenticator app. ## How do I generate a recovery code? 1. Go to the Manage how I sign in page of your Microsoft account security dashboard at account.live.com/proofs/manage/additional and sign in. 2. Scroll to the Recovery code section and select Generate a new code. 3. Print the code and keep it in a safe place. > Warning: **Only the newest code works.** Microsoft says that as soon as you create a new recovery code, any previous codes stop working. If you generate one, replace any older copy you kept. ## Where should I keep it? Microsoft says to print the code and, for security, not to store it on a device used to sign in to your account. A device you sign in on is the one most likely to be lost or compromised along with the account, which would defeat the purpose. A printed copy kept somewhere secure at home is the approach Microsoft describes. ## Can I download or look up my existing code? No. Microsoft says you cannot retrieve or download an existing recovery code. If you can sign in, you can create a new one at any time. If you cannot sign in, Microsoft points you to its sign-in helper. ## How do I sign in with a recovery code? 1. Start signing in by entering your username at account.microsoft.com/account. 2. If you have no verification method or have forgotten your password, select Other ways to sign in. 3. Select Use my password, then Forgot password? 4. Select Use a different verification option, then I don't have any of these. 5. At the Do you have an account recovery code? prompt, enter the code. 6. After a valid code, you are offered the option to update your password. Microsoft notes that some steps vary depending on your account's security level and which numbers and email addresses you have added. Codes are not case-sensitive and do not need spaces or dashes. ## Why is there a 30-day wait? Microsoft says that if your account has two-step verification turned on, you must wait 30 days for changes to take effect after recovery. Expect this if you use the code on a protected account, and do not assume something has gone wrong. ## What if I have no recovery code? Without the code, Microsoft's route is the account recovery form. Microsoft says it sends the result of a recovery request to the working email address you give at the start of the form within 24 hours ([Microsoft Support](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/accounts-billing/manage/help-with-the-microsoft-account-recovery-form)). Give as much accurate detail about the account as you can. Our guide on [Outlook or Microsoft account locked](https://www.awarexone.com/research/outlook-microsoft-account-locked) covers the form in more depth. | Situation | Route | | --- | --- | | You have a printed recovery code | Other ways to sign in, then the recovery code prompt | | You can still sign in | Generate a new code now and replace old copies | | No code, no verification methods | Microsoft sign-in helper and recovery form | | Lost the authenticator phone | See our Authenticator guide, then create a recovery code | ## A short checklist for today 1. Sign in while you still can. 2. Check your phone numbers and email addresses on the Manage how I sign in page. 3. Generate a new recovery code and print it. 4. Destroy older printed codes, since they no longer work. 5. Keep the printout away from the devices you sign in on. ## How the recovery code fits with other methods Microsoft accounts can have several verification methods at once: phone numbers, alternative email addresses, the Microsoft Authenticator app and the recovery code. The recovery code is different because it does not depend on any device or inbox staying in your hands. That is why Microsoft advises keeping it off your sign-in devices. If your phone is stolen and your email is on the same phone, the printed code is still at home. When you add or remove other methods, review the Manage how I sign in page and make sure your recovery code is still current, since generating a new one is the only way to be sure which code works. Treat the printed code like a house key: anyone holding it, together with your username, can reset your password. ## Common mistakes - Saving the code in a note on the same phone used for sign-in. - Generating a new code and keeping the old one, which no longer works. - Expecting Microsoft to look up or resend an existing code. - Treating the 30-day wait on a two-step account as a failed recovery. ## Watch out for recovery scams Microsoft's own settings, help pages and forms are the official routes. Anyone who messages you offering to restore or unlock your account, or who asks for your password, codes or recovery details, is not part of that process. Never share them. Our guide on [spotting fake recovery services](https://www.awarexone.com/research/account-recovery-scams-how-to-spot-fake-recovery-services) lists the warning signs. ## What are the realistic limits? Microsoft controls account recovery. The recovery code only helps if you made it in advance, and Microsoft says it cannot be retrieved later. Without it, the recovery form is the official route and Microsoft decides the outcome. If you lost your authenticator phone, see [Microsoft Authenticator on a lost phone](https://www.awarexone.com/research/microsoft-authenticator-lost-phone). AwareXone helps people review account access and security through official platform routes. We are independent and not affiliated with Microsoft, the work is best-effort, and Microsoft makes the final decision. Read more about our [account security](https://www.awarexone.com/services/account-security). ### How long is a Microsoft recovery code? Microsoft says it is a 25-digit code. It is not case-sensitive and needs no spaces or dashes. ### Can I get my old recovery code from Microsoft? No. Microsoft says you cannot retrieve or download an existing code. You can create a new one if you can sign in. ### Does a new recovery code cancel the old one? Yes. Microsoft says any previous codes stop working once you create a new one. ### Why must I wait 30 days after recovery? Microsoft says accounts with two-step verification on need 30 days for changes to take effect. ## Official sources - [Microsoft Support, How to get a Microsoft account recovery code](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/accounts-billing/manage/how-to-get-a-microsoft-account-recovery-code) - [Microsoft Support, Help with the Microsoft account recovery form](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/accounts-billing/manage/help-with-the-microsoft-account-recovery-form) - [Microsoft Support, Reopen your Microsoft account](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/accounts-billing/manage/reopen-your-microsoft-account) --- AwareXone is an independent Malaysia-based provider, not affiliated with any platform. The platform makes the final decision on every account. AwareXone never asks for passwords, OTP codes, backup codes or session cookies.