Which route is yours?
Choose what the intruder changed. Each route starts with Microsoft's own tools, and only the last one involves Xbox enforcement.
My password stopped working, but codes still reach my email or phone.
- Run a full antivirus scan on your PC
- Start Microsoft’s password reset
- Enter the code sent to your security info
You don’t need the current password. Microsoft sends a verification code to the email or phone you select, and you set a new password. Scan your PC first, as Microsoft advises.
Your route, step by step
Choose what changed. Each route lists Microsoft's own steps and where it waits.
The recovery path, in order
Follow the steps in order. If the password reset works, skip step 3 and go straight to the audit.
- Scan the computer you use. Microsoft advises a full antivirus scan of your PC before you change the password, whichever antivirus app you use.
- Reset the Microsoft password. You don't need the current one: Microsoft sends a verification code to the email or phone you pick, then you set a new password.Recover your account → account.live.com/password/reset → choose where to send the code
- If no code can reach you, use the recovery form. Pick the option below on the identity screen. The reply comes by email, with a reset link that expires within 72 hours or a request for more detail. If two-step verification is on and no method works, Microsoft says the form cannot help; see our two-step verification guide and our recovery form guide.We need to verify your identity → I don't have any of these → account recovery form
- Remove aliases you don't recognize. Open each link under Your info. In Manage how you sign in to Microsoft, check the Account alias section, then confirm your name, date of birth and country or region.Your info → Manage how you sign in to Microsoft → Account alias → Remove
- Check payments and subscriptions. Look for charges, payment options and subscriptions you didn't add, and cancel any subscription the intruder started. Our unauthorized charge guide covers the rest.Payment & billing → Order historyPayment & billing → Payment optionsSubscriptions → Manage → Cancel subscription
- Protect your consoles with the new password. Xbox Support says changing the password is enough to protect a profile saved on Xbox One or Xbox Series X|S. Sign out everywhere covers browsers and apps within 24 hours, but not Xbox consoles. On Xbox 360, use Require Profile Download. Our unknown console guide covers the devices list.
- Check games and recent installs on the console.Full library → Owned gamesManage → Queue
- Secure the email account too. If you made your Microsoft account with an email address that Microsoft didn't provide, update the security info for that email address with its own provider.
The audit after you're back in
Xbox Support's page on a compromised account goes beyond the password: aliases, profile details, payments, subscriptions and the console. Work through it even if the reset worked in a minute.
What have you checked so far?
Select each check once you've done it on Microsoft's or Xbox's own pages.
Select what you've done to see what's left.
The checks follow Xbox Support's steps for a compromised account. Nothing you select leaves this page.
What the intruder changed, and where to undo it
Each change sits in a different part of your Microsoft account, so each one is undone in its own place. Reply times for the recovery form, from 24 hours to 5 working days on Microsoft's pages, are covered in our recovery form guide.
Official recovery vs shortcuts
Only Microsoft can hand the account back, and even its own support agents can't skip the reset or the form. Anything that promises a faster way adds risk.
| Question | Official route | Shortcut |
|---|---|---|
| Who restores access | You, through Microsoft's reset or recovery form | Microsoft says its support agents can't send reset links or change account details |
| What you share | Details typed only on Microsoft pages | Our advice: never give a "recovery" service your email, passwords or codes |
| Your games and gamertag | They stay on your Microsoft account | Our advice: don't count on a new or bought account to carry them |
| A new account to escape a suspension | Recover the original, then check case review | Microsoft says don't create or use multiple accounts to violate its policies |
Our advice, not Microsoft's: don't message the person who took the account, and report any fraud to your bank or local police. Our page on recovery and unban service scams lists the warning signs.
When the usual route won't work
- Two-step verification is on and no method is left. Microsoft says "we cannot help you, sorry" for the recovery form. Check every old phone, email and saved code, and read our two-step guide.
- The form was declined. You can try again up to 2 times a day; add details you've remembered since.
- No email at all within 24 hours of sending the form. Xbox Support says to contact Xbox Support then.
- The reply is slow, but an email did arrive. That can still be normal: Microsoft's guidance notes say replies may take up to 5 working days.
- The reset link arrived late. It expires within 72 hours of delivery, so use it the same day.
- The intruder changed your gamertag. Only the first gamertag change is free; after that every change costs a fee, so the free one may already be gone.
- An enforcement action followed the takeover. Customer support can't assist with it; see our enforcement and case review guide.
Questions after an Xbox takeover
Can I recover my Xbox account if the hacker changed my email and phone?
Yes, you can try. Start the password reset, choose "I don't have any of these" and complete the account recovery form. If two-step verification is on and no method works, Microsoft says the form cannot help.
What should I check first once I'm back in?
Account aliases in Your info, then name, date of birth and region. Next, Order history, Payment options and Subscriptions, and finally owned games and the install queue on the console.
The intruder changed my gamertag. Can I change it back?
Maybe not for free. Only the first gamertag change is free, and every later change requires a fee, so the intruder may have used the free one. Microsoft's pages describe no exception after a takeover.
How do I get the intruder off my consoles?
Change your password: Xbox Support says that's enough to protect a profile saved on Xbox One or Series X|S. Sign out everywhere doesn't cover Xbox consoles; on Xbox 360, use Require Profile Download.
The intruder bought something on my account. What now?
Open Order history under Payment & billing and look for charges you don't recognize. Xbox Support suggests checking first with family or friends who may have access to your account. For a charge that stays unexplained, see our unauthorized charge guide.
I found an alias I didn't add. How do I remove it?
Open the links under Your info, then Manage how you sign in to Microsoft, and check the Account alias section. Select Remove next to any alias you don't recognize.
I still use an Xbox 360. Does the new password protect it?
Xbox Support says the password change is enough on Xbox One and Series X|S. For a profile on Xbox 360, its step is Require Profile Download.
My Xbox profile got suspended after the takeover. Who do I ask?
Not customer support: Xbox Support says it can't assist with enforcement. Secure the account first, then see whether your enforcement history offers a case review.
Sources
- Microsoft Support: How to recover a hacked or compromised Microsoft account Checked October 2026
- Microsoft Support: Help with the Microsoft account recovery form Checked October 2026
- Microsoft Support: Guidance notes for the Microsoft account recovery form Checked October 2026
- Microsoft Support: Account recovery unsuccessful Checked October 2026
- Microsoft Support: How to sign out of your Microsoft account everywhere Checked October 2026
- Xbox Support: Secure your account if you think you’ve been hacked Checked October 2026
- Xbox Support: How to change your Xbox gamertag Checked October 2026
- Xbox Support: Types of Xbox enforcement actions Checked October 2026
Verified October 2026 against the Microsoft and Xbox support pages above. Microsoft's pages give different reply times for the recovery form, so we quote both.