Some deceptive emails appear to be from a safe sender but, in fact, have a "spoofed" source address to fool you. Here are some ways to deal with phishing and spoofing scams in Outlook.com.

Sign in using Microsoft Authenticator. Microsoft Authenticator helps you sign in to your accounts if you've forgotten your password, use two-step verification or multi-factor authentication, or have gone passwordless on your account.

Microsoft Authenticator is a mobile app that helps you sign in to all your accounts without using a password. Microsoft Authenticator is not available for PC or Mac as authenticator apps are typically designed for smartphones for security reasons. Learn more.

Simple, fast, secure. If my account doesn’t have a password, how will I sign in? Once you remove your password from your account, you will need to sign in using a passwordless method like the Microsoft Authenticator app, Outlook for Android, Windows Hello, physical security keys, or SMS codes.

Activate Microsoft 365 or a non-subscription version of Office. When you start an Microsoft 365 app that's not activated, you'll be prompted to sign in to Microsoft 365. Be sure to sign in using the Microsoft account, or work or school account, that you used to buy or subscribe to Microsoft 365.

You can set up an authenticator app to send a notification to your mobile device or to send you a verification code as your security verification method. You aren't required to use the Microsoft Authenticator app, and you can select a different app during the set up process.

Hotmail is now Outlook.com. Learn how to sign in to access your Outlook.com, Hotmail, Live, or MSN email account.

Find solutions to common problems, or get help from a support agent.

A Windows product key is a 25-character code used to activate Windows. It looks like this: Locate your product key for Windows 10 or Windows 11. Depending on how you got your copy of Windows 10 or Windows 11, you'll need either a 25-character product key or a digital license to activate it.

Sign in to SharePoint. SharePoint is a browser-based app that you connect to through your web browser, like so: Go to office.com, and sign in to your work or school account. In the upper left corner of the window, select the app launcher > All apps > SharePoint.