You need to sign in to Microsoft, but you cannot remember which email address you used. You can recover a username hint with your security information or find the full address on a device where you are already signed in. Start with Microsoft's recovery page, then check the saved-account options that match your devices.
Recover a username hint from Microsoft
Open Microsoft's username-recovery page.
Enter an email address or phone number you previously registered as security information for your personal Microsoft account.
Request the verification code.
Enter the code you receive.
Select Next. Microsoft displays a masked username hint, such as j********@outlook.com, rather than your complete email address.
If you cannot access your security information, or the hint does not identify the address, check Windows or an app where you are already signed in. Those account details can reveal the full address.
Check the accounts saved in Windows
Your Windows sign-in account and the accounts saved for apps can use different email addresses.
Open Start > Settings > Accounts > Your info in the Windows user account you use.
Read the email beneath your name. For an administrator signed in with a Microsoft account, the address appears above Administrator.
Open Start > Settings > Accounts > Email & accounts.
Inspect the accounts saved for apps, including any address that differs from your Windows sign-in account.
On Windows 11, Windows+I is a shortcut to Settings. Both account pages also exist in Windows 10.
Find account details inside Microsoft apps
In Word or Excel for Windows, File > Account shows the licensing username under Product Information beside Belongs to. Opening or creating a document exposes File when needed. The licensing account can differ from your mailbox.
In new Outlook for Windows, View > View settings > Accounts > Your accounts contains Email accounts; Manage beside an account opens Account details. In classic Outlook, the dropdown under File > Account Information lists configured mail accounts.
OneDrive on Windows displays its account at the cloud icon > Help & Settings > Settings > Account. On a phone or tablet, the route is OneDrive > profile picture or person icon > Settings > Accounts.
Desktop Edge's profile icon displays existing account choices, and Manage profile settings opens details for a signed-in profile. An address found in an app remains a candidate until you confirm it through Microsoft sign-in.
Look for a saved Microsoft login
A password manager reveals your username when you previously saved a Microsoft login. It reads an existing record and cannot discover an account you never saved there.
In desktop Chrome, open More (…) > Passwords and autofill > Google Password Manager.
Under Passwords, open a Microsoft sign-in entry to read its username. Records saved to your Google Account are also available at Google Password Manager on the web.
In an Edge profile signed in with your personal Microsoft account, open Settings and more (…) > Settings > Passwords and autofill > Microsoft Password Manager.
Select the right arrow beside the saved Microsoft sign-in record to inspect its username.
Authenticate with your device PIN or password if requested.
On an iPhone or iPad with the Passwords app, open Passwords.
Unlock it with Face ID, Touch ID, or your passcode.
Select All or the relevant Shared Group.
Open the saved Microsoft record to read its username.
On a Mac running macOS Sequoia 15 or later, open Passwords.
Authenticate with Touch ID or your Mac user-account password.
Open the saved Microsoft record to read its username.
Reveal every email alias after signing in
This shows the complete list of email addresses associated with your personal Microsoft account.
Open your Microsoft account.
Enter another known email alias or a phone number registered for sign-in. A recovery-only phone number or email address is not necessarily a sign-in identifier. If Microsoft says that username has been turned off for sign-in, try a different alias.
Select Next.
Complete authentication.
Open the account's email-alias page. The same destination is available through Your info > Edit account info.
Read the email addresses associated with the account.
For access with a previously registered, accessible passkey, open Microsoft account sign-in on the device or credential manager holding it.
Complete the offered passkey authentication using your face, fingerprint, PIN, or registered security key.
Open the email-alias page to see the account's addresses.
Test the email addresses you remember
A remembered address gives you another starting point. Personal Microsoft accounts can use non-Microsoft email addresses, so include those among your candidates.
Enter one candidate email address at Microsoft account sign-in. Microsoft says a password prompt indicates that the address is a Microsoft account.
Check the spelling and domain if you see We couldn't find an account with that username or That Microsoft account doesn't exist. Both messages mean the entered address was not found.
Try another candidate address if the spelling and domain were correct.
Search your accessible inboxes for Microsoft purchase receipts or subscription messages, including game purchases and renewals.
Inspect each message's recipient address for another candidate.
Confirm that candidate through Microsoft sign-in.
Check the account for the subscriptions or purchases you expect.
Keep existing account clues intact. Removing accounts, unlinking devices, or resetting apps does not discover the address and can remove useful saved information.
If none of your candidates works, try Microsoft's Sign-in helper below. It provides instructions based on the email address or mobile number you enter.
Read the email on your Xbox profile
On an Xbox One or Xbox Series X|S where you are signed in, inspect the rotating identity on Home for your account email.
Press the Xbox button to open the guide.
Open Profile & system > Settings > Account > Sign-in, security & PIN.
Read the identifier under Show on Home.
Enable Show on Home to display that identifier on Home.
For a family member's account, open Xbox Family Settings as the family organizer.
Select the family member. This route does not show another organizer's email.
Select Info beside the member's gamertag.
Read Account email.
Use the displayed account email for your next sign-in attempt. Xbox Support can't provide this information, even if you know your gamertag.
Get guided help when you are still stuck
Microsoft's Sign-in helper supports personal accounts used with Outlook.com, Microsoft 365, Teams personal, and Xbox.
- 1.Open Microsoft's Sign-in helper, also available through Sign-in helper on Microsoft's support page.
- 2.Enter a candidate email address or mobile phone number.
- 3.Follow the tool's instructions for your sign-in problem.
Retrieve a work or school username separately
Work and school accounts belong to your organization and are separate from personal Microsoft accounts.
In Windows, open Settings > Accounts > Access work or school.
Inspect the connected organization account.
For a forgotten Microsoft 365 work or school username, contact your organization's administrator or help desk and request your assigned username. The administrator can retrieve it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can the Microsoft account-recovery form find an unknown email address?
The account-recovery form is primarily for regaining access to an account. It is not an email-address lookup tool.
Can I use Authenticator to find my account email?
Open Authenticator and review its Accounts page for an existing Microsoft account entry and the account information it shows. Confirm that address through Microsoft sign-in. Authenticator's saved-password and autofill feature ended in August 2025; its authentication-account entries remain a separate place to check.
Can Siri find my Microsoft account email?
Siri can open saved-password information on an iPhone, iPad, or Mac. Say “Show my passwords,” authenticate, then open an existing Microsoft record to read its username. This accesses stored credentials rather than searching Microsoft's account database.
Where can I check for a Microsoft account in Outlook on a Mac?
In Outlook, open Outlook > Settings > Accounts and inspect an existing account. Tools > Accounts is another entry point.