If your Microsoft account has been compromised, it means that someone might be using your account to access your personal info or send spam. Such info could include emails, contacts, and photos from Outlook.com (external link) and OneDrive. It could also include your health data if you have connected services like HealthVault. Use this guide to get back into your account, review your personal info and settings, and help prevent this from happening again.
If you suspect that your account has been compromised but Microsoft hasn’t sent you any notifications or warnings, you can always check the recent activity page (external link) to see what’s been done with your account for the last month.
Why was my account blocked?
We noticed unusual activity in your account, so we temporarily blocked it. We know that having your account blocked can be frustrating, but it’s an important tool to help us protect all of our customers, including you, from junk email and online fraud.
Change or reset your password
If you think your Microsoft account has been compromised, try to sign in to it online (external link). (If you’re already signed in on your device, sign out first.)
- If you successfully sign in, you should change your password immediately. This will stop anyone who knows your password from signing in again. Go to the Security (external link) page, select Change password, and then follow the instructions.
- If you can’t sign in to your account, your password may have been changed by someone else. Select Forgot my password on the sign-in page, and then I think someone else is using my Microsoft account. Follow the instructions to recover your account. Visit Recover your Microsoft account (external link) for info about the recovery form and tips to make sure you can successfully get back into your account.
Review your account information
If someone else got into your account, you want to make sure they didn’t use your data or change your settings. Sometimes attackers make back doors into your account so they can still see your information after you reset your password.
Help protect your account for the future
Take a look at our tips in Help protect your Microsoft account (external link). We especially recommend you take a look at our Do’s and Don’ts for creating a strong password, and then add security info to your account. Adding security info can make it easier to recover your account if someone else takes control of it, or you forget your password. Because this info is used for your safety, it’s a good idea to add as much info as you can. We never use your security info for marketing purposes—it’s only to verify your identity.
If you want to close your account
After you change your password and review your personal information, your Microsoft account should be safe to use again. However, if you want to delete your account you can follow the steps listed in How to close your Microsoft account (external link). If you’re temporarily blocked from signing in to your compromised account, you will still need to go through the process of changing your password before you can close your account.
If you’re ready to create a new Microsoft account, you can go straight to the Create account (external link) page now. Or you can sign up at any time by going to a Microsoft sign in page and selecting No account? Create one!
