Repeated One-Time Verification Codes Sent to My Email

MF Ö 20 Reputation points
2026-05-13T11:37:14.1766667+00:00

Hello Microsoft Support Team,

I have been receiving repeated one-time verification codes to my email address associated with my Microsoft account, even though there are no unauthorized login attempts shown in my account activity.

I already have two-factor authentication enabled, and I have not requested these codes myself. As an additional security measure, I have also changed my account password recently, but the verification codes are still being sent continuously.

This situation is becoming concerning, and I would appreciate it if you could investigate why these verification codes are being triggered and advise me on whether my account may be targeted or if there are additional security steps I should take.

Thank you for your assistance.

Best regards,

Outlook | Web | Outlook.com | Account management, security, and privacy
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Answer accepted by question author
EmilyS726 277.8K Reputation points Independent Advisor
2026-05-13T12:17:51.5366667+00:00

If someone knows your email address, even if they don't know your password, they can still use the "forgot password" option to trigger the 2FA code.

Consider this:

Go to your Microsoft account online https://account.live.com> Sign in > Your info > Sign in preference. Add an alias - You have two options here:

Create new: this will allow you to use the native domain outlook.com to create a new alias.

Add existing: this will allow you to add a 3rd party email address, such as yahoo, gmail, as long as they are not already associated with another Microsoft account.

Once added, make this new alias your primary alias, do NOT delete the old alias.

Then at the bottom, click on "Change sign in preference". On the next page, uncheck the box for the old alias. This means, from now one, the old alias cannot be used to sign into your Microsoft account, but it can be still used to receive emails, etc.

If by doing the above and it still won't stop, then it is possible that your email address is being set up as someone else's security contact info, typically due to typo on their end. And now they cannot receive the 2FA code meant for their account, so they kept resending it. In this scenario, your account is not at risk at all but there's also nothing you can do, until the other person realized they entered the wrong email address and hopefully would update it on their end.

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  1. AI answer

    2026-05-13T11:37:27.5966667+00:00

    Receiving repeated one-time verification codes that were not requested usually means one of the following:

    1. Someone is repeatedly trying to sign in using the email address and triggering verification
      • Another person may be entering the email address by mistake or intentionally when trying to sign in.
      • Each attempt can cause a verification code to be sent, even if they never complete the sign-in.
    2. Delayed or repeated delivery of older requests
      • Delivery of a code requested some time ago can be delayed and arrive later, appearing as repeated messages.

    The account itself remains protected as long as the verification codes are not shared or entered on a suspicious sign-in page. The guidance is:

    • Do not respond to or use any codes that were not requested.
    • Treat these as a signal that the account may be a target and strengthen security where possible.

    Recommended steps:

    1. Ensure the account is secured
      • Keep the new strong password.
      • Keep two-factor authentication enabled.
      • Consider going “passwordless” to rely on methods like Microsoft Authenticator, Windows Hello, SMS/Email codes, or security keys instead of a password. See Go passwordless.
    2. Monitor and manage sign-in methods
    3. If codes continue and are clearly unrequested
      • Continue to ignore any unrequested codes; without the code being entered, the account cannot be accessed.
      • Consider going passwordless so that sign-in relies on stronger, phishing-resistant methods and reduces the usefulness of these code attempts.

    If further help is needed or sign-in problems start occurring, use the sign-in helper or contact support:

    • Use the sign-in helper tool for sign-in issues: Sign-in helper.
    • For technical support, go to Contact Microsoft Support, describe the issue, select Get Help, and then Contact Support if more assistance is required.

    References:

    AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

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