There are a number of possible explanations for why verification codes don't always arrive. Read through the list of the most common causes, and see if any of them apply to you, or use our troubleshooter to help guide you.

If you're trying to add your Outlook.com account to Outlook or another mail app, you might need the POP, IMAP, or SMTP settings. You can find them below or by viewing them in your Outlook.com settings.

Block or unblock senders in Outlook. You can block messages from specific email addresses or domains from reaching your inbox. When you add an email address or domain to your blocked senders list, Outlook automatically moves messages from that sender to the Junk Email folder.

Contact Support. For technical support, go to Contact Microsoft Support, enter your problem and select Get Help. If you still need help, select Contact Support to be routed to the best support option. Learn how to manage your Microsoft account security info and troubleshoot verification code issues.

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

If you pre-ordered a game and want to cancel, you can do so up to 10 days before the game launches at: Order history. After this time, you may be billed, and you’ll need to request a refund to cancel your order. For more info about digital game pre-orders, see: Pre-order Xbox digital games in the Microsoft Store.

With message recall, a message that you sent is retrieved from the mailboxes of the recipients who haven’t yet opened it. You can also substitute a replacement message. For example, if you forgot to include an attachment, you can try to retract the message, and then send a replacement message that has the attachment.

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.

Troubleshooting verification code issues. Avoid and report Microsoft technical support scams. Learn how to unlock your Microsoft account and resolve 'account has been locked' error message.

Mobile device or work phone call: Enter your mobile device number and get a phone call for two-step verification or password reset. For step-by-step instructions about how to verify your identity with a phone number, see Set up security info to use phone calls.