2026 Security Checkup: Microsoft Account ⭐

Securing a Microsoft account (MSA) is surprisingly easy. And it should only take 10 to 15 minutes to evaluate how your MSA is configured and make any necessary changes to get it in a good place.

So what does that mean?

A properly configured MSA can be accessed using passwordless methods that are both convenient and secure. It's that simple. As is how you get there. You will configure the MSA to require two-step verification, a form of multi-step authentication (MFA), using multiple methods, two of which are the Microsoft Authenticator app on your phone and a portable passkey in your password manager.

I wrote about this process a bit over a year ago in my book, the Windows 11 Field Guide, and in a standalone article on this site, Tip: Properly Secure Your Microsoft Account. So this guide will be more concise and you can reference those two resources if you want additional information.

Here's what to do.
Review the configuration of your MSA
Using a web browser on your computer, open the Microsoft account website, sign-in and verify your identity as required, and navigate to Security > Manage how I sign in to view the Additional security options page.

This page has two main sections, "Ways to prove who you are" and "Additional security." Start with "Additional security," which has two options that can increase the security of your account: Passwordless account and Two-step verification. Ensure that Two-step verification is configured to On. If it is not, click "Turn on."

As the site explains, two-step verification adds another layer of protection to your MSA, and it does so using the Microsoft Authenticator app (or another authenticator app), which you will install on your phone.

✅ Tip: I strongly recommend using the Microsoft Authenticator app as other authenticator apps don't provide the same seamless and passwordless sign-in experience.
Install and configure the Microsoft Authenticator app if required
If you need to enable two-step verification and haven't already done this, get the Microsoft Authenticator app for your phone as prompted (here are direct links for Android and iPhone) and set it up for your MSA using the QR code that the MSA site will display on your computer. After you pair the app with your account, you will be prompted to enter a code that's generated by the app.

(You will then be prompted to create an app password for use with certain out-of-date devices, apps, and services. I will ignore that here.)

When this is complete, the Two-step verification option on the Additional security options page will be set to On. So now it's time to look at your sign-in and verification methods.
Configure methods for signing in and verifying your identity
The top section of the Additional security options page, Ways to prove who you are, lists the methods you've configured for signing into your MSA and verifying your identity. As noted up top, the primary goal here is to configure your MSA with...