If your account has been hacked, use our sign-in helper tool below to help guide you to the right solutions. The tool will ask for your email address or phone number, and either show appropriate self-help, or offer the chance to talk to an agent.

You can start a scan for malware any time you like. Note: Microsoft Defender currently offers anti-malware on Windows, Android, and macOS. From the Microsoft Defender dashboard. If you want a deeper scan, instead of selecting Quick scan in step 3, select Scan options and choose the type of scan you want.

We recommend you install the latest update for your device as it contains important improvements and issue resolutions, including this one. After a fresh install or an In-place upgrade to Windows 11, version 24H2, you might face issues with connecting via DirectAccess.

This is the account associated with Windows, Microsoft 365, OneDrive, Xbox, and more. Your backed-up information will be stored with your Microsoft account, so getting back to your things on a new PC is as easy as signing in. To sign in to your Microsoft account, select Start > Settings > Accounts > Your info .

Under Microsoft Defender Firewall, switch the setting to On. If your device is connected to a network, network policy settings might prevent you from completing these steps. For more info, contact your administrator. To turn it off, switch the setting to Off.

If your PC doesn't have the right version of DirectX installed (the product box should tell you which one you need), your game might not work properly. Follow these steps to use the DirectX Diagnostic Tool to check your DirectX version:

If you’re moving to a new country or region, you can update your account info to match your new residency. Note If you’re trying to use these steps to resolve any backward compatibility account region errors, changing your account region will not resolve these issues.

Get to know your way around Windows 11, from where to search to how to stay organized. Watch the video and read tips about new features.

For those devices, you can sign in with an app password instead. An app password is a long, randomly generated password that you provide only once instead of your regular password when signing in to an app or device that doesn't support two-step verification.

For more on freeing up space on your PC, see Free up drive space in Windows. Learn how to run a disk cleanup in Windows including deleting temporary and system files to free up disk space.