How to secure your Hotmail account {Easy Way 2023}

How to secure your Hotmail account-You are trying to access your Hotmail , Live or Outlook account , but when you try to do so, you cannot continue as you are asked to enter a passcode. I’m not mentioning the times you may have tried to log in with your Microsoft account on a particular application that doesn’t support two-step verification and therefore you weren’t able in any way to proceed with access using your credentials.

In all these cases (but the situations could also be many), the solution you can put into practice is to use the security information in your possession to be able to log in with your Microsoft account. Therefore, if you’re wondering how to unblock Hotmail accounts , you’ve come to the right place! In the next chapters I will not only tell you about the security methods of the Redmond home account, but I will also explain how to use this information to log into your account!

So if you want to find out what needs to be done to be able to achieve your goal, I invite you to take a handful of minutes of free time, sit comfortably in front of your computer or grab your smartphone and carefully follow the advice I am about to give you. . Unless misfortune has befallen you cynically and ruthlessly, you’ll be able to fix the problem and have your account back in no time. Let it bet? I just have to wish you a good reading!

How to secure your Hotmail account

Web activity is something that should never be underestimated, considering all the possible cyber threats that can hide behind every corner of this virtual world that you often visit with your own device. Therefore, what you have to do is enable the additional security systems that you find in the Microsoft account settings, in order to make it more secure.

Take into consideration that all the solutions that I will propose to you in the next chapters do not necessarily all have to be enabled, but you can decide which features to use on your Microsoft account to “lock it down”. Furthermore, consider that any procedure you will find in this tutorial of mine is the same whether you are acting from a PC or from a smartphone/tablet, as the actions to be implemented to improve the security of the account are to be activated in the appropriate Web panel.

That said, to improve the security of your Microsoft account, what you have to do is go to this website and press the Sign In button . So type your Hotmail , Live or Outlook address and enter the password associated with it, to display the management panel of your Microsoft account.

Then scroll down the page, press on the Security item and click on the Security Dashboard button . At this point, you will be asked to enter the password associated with your account again: proceed with this operation and then press the Advanced security options icon to start configuring the security of your account. More details on the individual features you can enable are available in the next chapters.

Identity verification

The first thing you need to do to keep your Microsoft account secure is to add identity verification methods . Some of these may have been offered to you during the account creation phase but, in the event that this has not happened or you have skipped this procedure, you can still add new ones or modify existing ones.

In the account section relating to Microsoft account security, which I told you about in the previous chapter, in the Ways to prove your identity section , press the wording Add a new access method or verify to display the list of options that you have available, which I list below.

• Use an app — is a method that allows you to register an authenticator app for generating security codes. This is one of the safest methods, as it prevents any advanced hacking activities, such as “sniffing”, which can intercept the GSM traffic of the SIM (SMS method) or data on the Web (email method).
• Send a code via email — is another authentication method for identity verification which consists of sending a code via email. The latter must, strictly speaking, be different from the Hotmail, Live or Outlook that you have and that you want to protect with this system.
• Use your Windows computer — is a solution available on some Windows PCs equipped with a special webcam for facial recognition or fingerprint reader. Through this option you can easily allow access to your Microsoft account from a specific Windows computer.
• Use a security key — it is a USB or NFC device designed with a FIDO2 protection system, which allows an easy and immediate unlocking of the Microsoft account during the authentication phase.
• Send a code via SMS — is another method of receiving an SMS with the unlock code for logging into your Microsoft account. It is considered less secure than other systems.

Using the method via email or SMS , you will need to communicate an alternative email address or your telephone number respectively during the configuration phase. In this way, you will be sent an identity confirmation code to be entered when appropriately requested during the configuration phase, in order to validate the chosen security method.

As for the method that requires the use of a security key , during the configuration you will have to insert the USB device into the USB port of the PC or bring the NFC device close to the reader on the PC. Once this system has been identified, you will be asked to enter the device PIN , so as to complete the association.

If you have decided instead to use your Windows computer as an authentication method, you must first configure Windows Hello on your PC: in this case, you will have to use the fingerprint reader or facial recognition via Certified Webcam to register your identity information . I told you about it in detail in this tutorial of mine.

Finally, using an authenticator app requires that your Android smartphone/tablet or iPhone/iPad have the Microsoft Authenticator app (Android/Android/iOS/iPadOS alternative stores) or other similar app, such as Google Authenticator ( Android/iOS/iPadOS), which I told you about in detail in this tutorial of mine.

When you’ve entered a method for securing your Microsoft account, it will be shown to you in the list just below the heading of the Ways to prove your identity section . You can remove an identification method by clicking on it and pressing the Remove button .

I warn you that entering any of these solutions mentioned above ensures the safety of your Hotmail, Live or Outlook account in case of suspicious activity detected by Microsoft itself. If you want your identity to be verified every time you try to log into your account, I recommend activating two-step verification , which I’ll tell you about in the next chapter.

Two-step verification

Among the options of the security of the Microsoft account there is the two-step verification , also called by the acronym in English 2FA . This particular feature allows you to have additional protection on your account, as it becomes more difficult for any attacker to access it.

In fact, in order to log in to your Microsoft account, two pieces of information are required: the password (which can be discovered if your device is being spied on) and a disposable code that is generated from time to time based on the service that has been enabled ( SMS , email or authenticator app ).

This means that if someone somehow gets to know your Microsoft account password, they won’t be able to sign in anyway, as they don’t have this additional code. In this case, pay attention to whoever uses your smartphone, tablet or PC, so that they cannot have this additional information available.

Before enabling this feature, it is a good idea to add the methods of verifying your identity via app (recommended), email or SMS authentication (not recommended, as it is more easily attacked), which I told you about in the previous chapter. Once this is done, in the Microsoft account security section, locate the wording Additional security and press the Activate item that you find under the Two-step verification method . Then click on the Next button twice consecutively and then on Finish .

Also in the Additional Security section of Microsoft is the Account without password method . It is a system that completely removes the password from your Hotmail, Live or Outlook account by replacing it with a disposable code that is sent to you from time to time via authentication app, email or SMS (not recommended) .

Although it is a new method and for which the security of your Microsoft account is guaranteed, I do not recommend its use: instead, prefer a combination of multiple security systems, taking care to enable two-step verification.

Password dell’app

Some apps may not support two-step verification, and as a result, you may get stuck logging in with your Microsoft account. For this reason, you can create an app-specific password from the account security section.

To do this, therefore, locate the wording App password and click on the item a little further down called Create a new password for the app . At this point, in the new screen, you will be shown an alphanumeric password that you can use to access your Microsoft account with the app with which you have encountered access problems.

I remind you that this password can only be used for that access and generally does not replace the password set on your Microsoft account or the otherwise configured security methods.

Recovery code

Are you afraid that you can no longer access your Microsoft account? Generally this cannot happen if you have set up additional methods for verifying your identity. However, in the event that you are unfortunate enough to no longer have access to any methods you have previously configured, the recovery code comes your way .

This is an alphanumeric code that must be kept carefully and is the only way that allows you to unlock a Microsoft account if you have serious difficulty accessing it, as you no longer have access to additional security information (for example you have lost your smartphone or you no longer remember access to the alternative email).

To generate this code, in the Microsoft account security section, scroll to the bottom and locate the wording Recovery code . Then press on the item Generate a new code and take a photo, a screenshot, print or write down somewhere the code that is shown to you.

Come sbloccare l’account Hotmail

Now that you are aware of all the methods you can use to improve the security of your Microsoft account, let’s see how to unlock it in case the situation arises where you cannot proceed with access. First, no matter what service, app, or software you’re using to sign in to your Microsoft account, you’ll be shown an identical sign-in screen in all of these cases.

If you have configured a USB or NFC key for authentication, press the wording Access with a security key (note that this access method is only available on devices that can support this authentication method). Then follow the procedure on the screen to log in immediately. If you have Windows Hello set up on your Windows PC and your Microsoft account, you’ll be signed in right away.

If you don’t have such an authentication device, type your Hotmail , Live or Outlook address in the appropriate box and press the Next button . At this point, enter the password associated with your Microsoft account. If it’s an app that doesn’t support two-step verification, first generate an app-specific password and then type it into the Password field during login.

At this point, you’ll be presented with several login options, whether you’ve set up a code to be sent via an authenticator app , email , or SMS . Therefore, choose one of the methods just indicated to continue with the account unlocking procedure. In the case of the method via SMS or email, you will first need to confirm this information: therefore enter your telephone number or the alternative email address that you have configured as security methods, respectively.

If the information you just entered matches what you previously configured on your Microsoft account, you will receive the disposable access code via text message or email . As for the method via authentication app , open the latter to view the disposable code. Then type the aforementioned code in the appropriate field on the screen and click on the Verify button to access your Microsoft account.

If you have difficulty logging in because you don’t remember your password, but you can still generate a one-time code through the systems configured on your Microsoft account, you can simply proceed with the password reset, which I told you about in detail in this tutorial of mine.

If, on the other hand, you no longer have access to any of the security information, including the password, on the login screen, type your Hotmail, Live or Outlook address, press the Next button and then click on the wording Forgotten password . Then press on the item Show other verification methods and then on I don’t have any of this info . At this point, enter the recovery code that you have jealously kept and which I told you about in this chapter.

If all the information in the previous paragraphs have not been useful to you, then you can proceed with filling out the Microsoft form to unlock your account, which you can find at this link. This operation is lengthy as the support team will ask you a series of questions that can guarantee your identity. Only if successful, will you be sent instructions to regain access to your Microsoft account.