Free SMS Number for Microsoft, Outlook and Hotmail Sign-Ups

When Microsoft asks for a phone number

Microsoft asks for a number in three situations: creating an account, adding security info, and proving who you are at sign-in. One Microsoft account covers Outlook.com, Hotmail, Xbox, Microsoft 365 and the Store, so a single verification serves all of them.

The prompt appears more often on brand-new accounts, unfamiliar networks and VPN connections. Work and school accounts follow rules set by an administrator, so this route is meant for personal accounts.

Receive the Microsoft code on a free line

You need two browser tabs: the Microsoft form and the number page from this site. Copy a line from the list, paste it into the phone field, and choose the text message option.

Microsoft also offers a call, but only SMS arrives on these lines, so a spoken code would be lost. If nothing shows up, the Microsoft code troubleshooting page lists the checks in order.

• Pick a line, preferably one that recently received Microsoft codes.
• Select the country that matches the line before typing the number.
• Choose Text, not Call, when Microsoft asks how to send the code.
• Copy the highlighted code from the feed while it is still shown in full, which lasts 10 minutes.

Limits of a shared number on a Microsoft account

A public number should never be the only security info on an account you care about. Anyone who opens the page can read the codes, including a password reset code sent to that number.

Microsoft may also refuse lines that many accounts already use, and it tends to reject numbers from internet-calling services. For a mailbox you plan to keep, use your own phone or a private number. To avoid the phone step, the Outlook without a phone number page lists the options.

Which Microsoft services this covers

Outlook, Hotmail, Live, Xbox and Skype logins are all Microsoft accounts, so the same line behaves the same way for each. The code is a short numeric string delivered by text, usually with the words Microsoft account security code.