Trying to add my phone number to my Microsoft account but the Add phone number option not showing up

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Trying to add my phone number to my Microsoft account but the Add phone number option not showing up

Darren AGeckoCan 0

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3 answers

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Answer 1

Paul Annis 0

Why does the online help say to click on the Add Phone Munber option when there is no longer such an option? Terrible service from Microsoft as always.

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Answer 2

Hey there! Nice to meet you!

Unfortunately, it is no longer possible to add a phone number as a verification method, as Microsoft has stated that they have already phased this option out, particularly under "Note" https://support.microsoft.com/accounts-billing/manage/microsoft-account-security-info-verification-codes

However, you can add other verification methods, such as a recovery email address, a passkey, and Microsoft Authenticator on account.microsoft.com > Security > Manage how I Sign in > Then click on "Add another way to sign in to your account"

Please let me know if you need anything else.

Best regards,

Darhyl

Answer 3

For personal Microsoft accounts, this is expected behavior in many cases now. Microsoft’s current security guidance states that for increased security, a phone number can no longer be added as a new way to verify sign-in. That is why the Add phone number option may be missing.

What can still be done:

Go to Security on the Microsoft account page.
Select Manage how I sign in.
Choose Add a new way to sign in or verify.
Add one of the supported methods instead:
- recovery email
- Microsoft Authenticator app
- passkey

If the goal is to add a phone number as an account alias instead of a security verification method, Microsoft’s account alias page may still show Add phone number under Edit account info. On that page, select Add email or Add phone number and follow the prompts. Note that VOIP numbers cannot be added, and only one mobile number can be used as a sign-in alias.

If Add phone number is missing even on the alias page, Microsoft Q&A reports this has affected multiple users and may be a backend issue rather than a device problem.

References: