Need to replace an old phone number on your Microsoft account? The right setting depends on whether you use it to sign in, receive verification codes, or appear on your Teams profile. Here's where to make each change while keeping a working way into your account.
Identify which phone number you need to change
A phone-number alias is a username you use to sign in. Manage it at your Microsoft account under Your info → Edit account info, or open the alias management page directly.
A security-verification number receives codes to confirm your identity. Its controls live under Security → Advanced security options, separate from your sign-in aliases.
Teams personal contact details connect to your Microsoft account, and Microsoft routes Teams phone-number changes through that account rather than a Teams setting. Hiding your number or disabling phone-number discovery changes its visibility, not the stored number.
Work or school accounts use separate controls for authentication numbers. An organizational directory contact number is another separate setting, so changing your authentication number does not update it.
Replace the number you use to sign in
Use this route for a personal Microsoft account that offers phone-alias registration. Confirm that the replacement is supported before removing your existing number.
Sign in at account.microsoft.com.
Open Your info → Edit account info, or use the direct alias management link.
Select Add phone number. If that control is absent, this replacement flow is unavailable on your account.
Complete the verification prompts for your new number.
Check whether the obsolete number is your primary alias. If it is, switch the primary alias using the next section before removing it.
Select Remove beside the obsolete number once the replacement is verified and another alias is primary. Keep another username on the account.
Switch away from a primary phone alias
An old number set as your primary sign-in alias needs an extra step before you can remove it.
Open your Microsoft account and go to Your info → Manage how you sign in to Microsoft.
Select Make primary beside another eligible alias. This changes your primary username; it does not update your security-verification information.
Select Remove beside the obsolete phone alias.
To keep the number stored but disable it as a sign-in username instead, open Your info → Sign-in preferences.
Disable the obsolete phone alias among the permitted sign-in aliases.
Select Save.
Remove an old security-verification number
Get a working replacement verification method in place before deleting the old phone method.
- 1.Open your account's security page and select Manage how I sign in.
- 2.Select Add a new way to sign in or verify. Microsoft is phasing out SMS authentication and recovery for personal accounts, so the option to add a new phone number may not be available.
- 3.Set up email, an authenticator, or a passkey using the on-screen prompts. Keep this working method registered: removing every security method triggers a 30-day restricted period that limits account changes, including alias updates.
- 4.On Advanced security options, expand the verification method containing your old phone number.
- 5.Select Remove, then select Remove again to confirm.
Regain access when your old phone cannot receive codes
If another registered verification method is accessible, use it to confirm your identity. Losing access to one phone does not require replacing all your security information.
If you know your password but cannot access any registered security method, begin signing in to your Microsoft account.
At Verify your identity, select I don't have any of these.
Complete the replacement-security-information prompts using an available contact method. Once your security information is replaced, you must wait 30 days before you can sign in, so this is not an immediate way back into your account. The process does not guarantee a phone number as the replacement contact.
If you cannot proceed because you have also forgotten your password, start with Microsoft's account recovery process. Recovery cannot bypass two-step verification when none of your verification methods is accessible, and Microsoft support agents cannot change personal-account details for you.
Resolve a number linked to another account
If you own the account holding the number, open its alias management page.
Before removing anything, confirm that the destination account offers Add phone number.
In the original account, select Remove beside the number, retaining another username. If the number is primary, use Make primary on another eligible alias first.
Sign out of the original account.
Sign in to the destination account.
Select Add phone number.
Complete the registration prompts.
If a number-conflict screen offers Transfer number, select it.
Complete the transfer prompts. For recently used numbers, Transfer number may not appear yet; try again after 30 days to see whether the option is available.
To use a different number in a Microsoft consumer app's conflict flow, select Change number.
Enter the different mobile number.
Complete the remaining prompts.
Keep the two waits separate: number-transfer eligibility and security-information replacement are different 30-day processes.
Update the number on your Teams personal profile
Removing a Microsoft account phone alias removes that number from your Teams personal profile immediately.
Open the Microsoft account alias management page.
Confirm that Add phone number is available before removing the old number.
Select Add phone number.
Complete verification for the replacement number.
If the old number is primary, select Make primary beside another eligible alias.
Select Remove beside the obsolete phone alias, keeping another username on the account.
Change a work or school authentication number
Your organization's authentication number uses a separate process from a personal Microsoft account. Available phone methods depend on your organization's policy.
Sign in to My Sign-ins security information.
Select Phone number → Change.
Complete the replacement-number and verification prompts.
If you cannot change the number or have lost access to the old phone, contact your organization's administrator. An authorized administrator can update your authentication method or require you to register for multifactor authentication again.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does changing my SIM update my Microsoft account phone number?
No. Changing a SIM or uninstalling an app does not edit the phone number stored in your Microsoft account. Update the relevant account alias or security information separately.
Can I still change my number through Skype?
No supported consumer Skype app route remains. Microsoft retired consumer Skype on May 5, 2025. That retirement excludes Skype for Business.
Will the 30-day security-information wait close my account?
No. A pending security-information change does not close your account, but the waiting period restricts account changes such as updating aliases. Without two-step verification, you can still use most services, including email. If two-step verification was turned on, you lose access to those services during the 30-day wait, so you must wait it out or cancel the request.
Does using a different number for Microsoft Rewards change my account number?
Microsoft Rewards permits a different eligible verification number during redemption. That is a redemption verification option, not an account alias or security-information update.