Microsoft365 does not show "add phone number" on my profile management page

Question

Microsoft365 does not show "add phone number" on my profile management page

Enrique Chi 0

I have changed my phone number. When I go to the "Manage how you sign in to your account" on my profile, I see the option to remove my old number (which I stupidly did), but there is no option to "Add phone number", although the help documentation says that it should be there. What gives?

I see the "add email" option, but that simply lets me create a new email address on Outlook.

How can I add a phone number now? Please help!

Side note: Why does Microsoft make this so complicated?

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3 answers

Your answer

Answer 1

Ron Barker 2,325

Hi, Microsoft is attempting to stop people using telephone numbers to sign in. My personal opinion this is because people are always loosing access to their phone. Microsoft is pushing people to use biometrics. fingerprints etc.

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Answer 2

For personal Microsoft accounts, Microsoft now says you can no longer add a phone number as a new security method. This method is being phased out. See official document here.

https://support.microsoft.com/accounts-billing/manage/microsoft-to-stop-sending-sms-codes-for-personal-accounts

Are you hoping to update the contact method to receive the 2FA verification?

If so, you go to https://account.live.com > Security > Manage how I sign in. And you will need to use email, the authentication app, or passkey.

If you need to verify your Bing Reward, The supported alternative to entering a phone number is QR-code verification through the Bing mobile app. Microsoft officially identifies this as an alternative to SMS, and users have successfully redeemed rewards with it when SMS verification failed. https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/accounts-billing/rewards/use-qr-code-verification-to-redeem-microsoft-rewards

Answer 3

The missing Add phone number option is on the sign-in-alias page, and the available documentation does not provide another self-service route for adding a phone alias when that option is absent.

What the page is managing

Manage how you sign in to Microsoft manages aliases—email addresses or phone numbers that can be used as usernames for the same personal Microsoft account. Microsoft’s instructions normally show Add email and Add phone number there.[^1^](https://support.microsoft.com/outlook/something-went-wrong-with-error-addriverstoreaccessnonlocalexception#add-another-alias-to-your-account-and-make-it-the-primary-alias ""Something went wrong" with error ADDriverStoreAccessNonLocalException | Microsoft Support")

That is separate from Security → Manage how I sign in, which manages verification and account-recovery methods. Microsoft is phasing out SMS authentication for personal accounts, so this Security page may offer only:

A recovery email
Microsoft Authenticator
A passkey

Microsoft explicitly states that Add a new phone number might not be available as a security method.^2^ This SMS change explains missing phone options on the Security page, but it does not establish why the phone-alias option is missing from your Your info page.

What to do now

Protect account recovery first, because the old number has already been removed:
- Open the Microsoft account Security page.
- Select Manage how I sign in.
- Select Add a new way to sign in or verify.
- Add a recovery email, Microsoft Authenticator, or a passkey.^2^
A verification email does not have to be a new Outlook address; it can be another accessible email address. It is different from selecting Add email on the aliases page.
For the missing phone-alias control, contact Microsoft Support:
- Enter the problem as: “Add phone number is missing under Manage how you sign in to Microsoft for my personal Microsoft account.”
- Select Get Help, then Contact Support if offered.
Microsoft directs unresolved account-number issues to Support, although support agents cannot directly access or change account details.^3^

Do not remove any remaining recovery method until at least one replacement method has been added and tested. Microsoft is moving personal accounts away from SMS because of phishing and SIM-swap risks, favoring verified email and passkeys instead.^4^

References