What happens if there's an unusual sign-in to your account

If there was an unusual sign-in attempt for your account, you'll get an email or text message. We'll send a message to all your alternate contact methods. To help protect your account, we'll need you to provide a security code from one of these contacts. This step prevents people who aren't you from signing in and lets us know if it was just you signing in from an unusual location or device. 

If you aren't sure about the source of an email, check the sender. You'll know it's legitimate if it's from the Microsoft account team at account-security-noreply@accountprotection.microsoft.com.

We may have blocked your sign-in if you're using a new device, if you installed a new app, or if you're traveling or in any new location. This security measure helps keep your account safe in case someone else gets your account information and tries to sign in as you. To unlock your account, follow the instructions on the sign-in screen and select where we can send you a security code. After you've received the code, enter it to access your account.

If you received an email or text alerting you to an unusual sign-in attempt on your account but you haven't done anything different with your account recently, follow these steps to review your account security: 

1. Sign in to the Security basics page for your Microsoft account.

2. Select Review activity to check for any unusual sign-in attempts on the Recent activity page. If you see account activity that you're sure wasn't yours, let us know and we can help secure your account—if it's in the Unusual activity section, you can expand the activity and select This wasn't me. If it's in the Recent activity section, you can expand the activity and select Secure your account.

3. If you think someone else may have accessed your account, go back to the Security basics page and select Change password. Create a strong password that you can remember, and don't share it with anybody else.

If you tried to sign in to your account but can't, someone may have changed your password. Follow these steps to get back into your account:

1. Try to reset your password with the instructions listed in When you can't sign in to your Microsoft account. Starting with this step saves you extra effort if you accidentally signed in with a different account than the alert was for.

2. If that doesn't work, try to sign in to your account again. Select Forgot my password on the sign-in page, and then select I think someone else is using my Microsoft account. Follow the instructions to recover your account.