Register your verification method info to reset your own password
Published: 2020-12-20 22:34:10

If you forgot your work or school password, never got a password from your organization, or have been locked out of your account, you can use your security info and your mobile device to reset your work or school password.

Your administrator must turn on this feature for you to be able to register your information and reset your own password. If you don't see the Forgot my password option, it means that your administrator hasn't turned on the feature for your organization. If you believe this to be incorrect, contact your help desk for assistance.

 Important

This article is intended for users trying to use sign up for self-service password reset. This means that you’ll be able to reset your own work or school password (such as alain@contoso.com), without requiring your administrator’s help. If you're an administrator looking for information about how to turn on self-service password reset for your employees or other users, see the Deploy Azure AD self-service password reset and other articles.

Set up your password reset verification method
Open the web browser on your device and go to the security info page.

Depending on how your administrator has set up your organization, one or more of the following options will be available for you to set up as your security verification method. If multiple options are available, we strongly recommend that you use more than one as your security verification method, in case one of your methods becomes unavailable.

Authentication app. Choose to use the Microsoft Authenticator app or other authenticator app as your security verification method. For more information about setting up the app, see Set up the Microsoft Authenticator app as your verification method.

Text messaging. Choose to send yourself text messages to your mobile device. For more information about setting up text messaging, see Set up text messaging as your verification method.

Phone calls. Choose to get a phone call to your registered phone number. For more information about setting up phone calls, see Set up a phone number as your verification method.

Security key. Choose to use a Microsoft-compatible security key. For more information, see Set up a security key as your verification method.

Email address. Choose to use an alternate email address that can be used without requiring your forgotten or missing password. This only works for password reset, not as a security verification method. For more information about setting up an email address, see Set up an email address as your verification method.

Security questions. Choose to set up and answer pre-defined security questions set up by your administrator. This only works for password reset, not as a security verification method. For more information about security questions, see Set up security questions as your verification method.

After you select and set up your methods, choose Finish to complete the process.

 Note

Information added for your phone number or email address is not shared with your organization's global directory. The only people that can see this information are you and your administrator. Only you can see the answers to your security questions.

Common problems and their solutions
Here are some common error cases and their solutions: