Microsoft · Without a phone number · Updated 2 October 2026
Outlook and Hotmail Sign-Up Without Giving a Phone Number
You can create a Microsoft account with a new Outlook address and a password, and the form does not always ask for a phone. Microsoft may still add a phone check depending on your network and region. The 5 steps below avoid it, and a free temporary number covers a one-off test account if the prompt appears anyway.
What the sign-up form actually requires
Microsoft's sign-up form requires an email address you create or supply, a password, your name and a birth date. A phone number is not part of that basic form.
Microsoft can add a phone or identity check afterward when a sign-up looks automated, for example from a busy shared network or a VPN. Those checks differ by region and by day, so a fresh attempt from a normal home connection often behaves differently.
Using your Gmail address for a Microsoft account
A Microsoft account can use an existing Gmail address as its username. On the sign-up page, enter the Gmail address in the email field instead of creating a new Outlook address.
Microsoft sends a code to that Gmail inbox to confirm you own it. The result is a Microsoft account, not an Outlook mailbox, so you still read mail in Gmail. Choose Get a new email address on the same page if you want an Outlook inbox.
Security info without a phone
Alternate email addresses and the Authenticator app both count as security info, so a phone is optional there. Add one of them in the account's security settings.
Microsoft sends a code to the alternate address whenever it needs to verify you. Without any method, you cannot recover the account after losing the password, so set up at least one on day one.
Hotmail, Live and a second account
Hotmail and Live addresses are Microsoft accounts too, and a new one follows the same form. The sign-up page may offer outlook.com or hotmail.com as the domain.
You can hold several Microsoft accounts with different addresses, each with its own password. Sign in with the full address every time so the browser does not mix them up.
When Microsoft insists on a phone anyway
A phone prompt that will not go away usually means the sign-up looks risky to Microsoft's filters. Turn off any VPN, switch from public Wi-Fi to a home or mobile connection, and try another browser in a private window.
Wait before retrying, because many fast attempts make the filter stricter. If the prompt remains, a number is the only way forward, and the Microsoft code-not-received guide covers delivery problems.
Where a temporary number fits
A public line works for a test mailbox, a trial Xbox profile or any account you will abandon. Open the Microsoft page, copy a line, choose the text option and read the code in the feed.
Every visitor can read that inbox. For a mailbox that holds receipts, recovery links or work, add your own phone or a private number.
Microsoft sign-up, step by step
- Open the sign-up pageGo to the Microsoft account sign-up page and choose Create one.
- Pick the addressSelect Get a new email address, or type an email you already own.
- Set a passwordChoose one that you do not use anywhere else.
- Enter name and birth dateUse the country and date that match your real details.
- Confirm with the codeIf you used your own email, enter the code Microsoft sends there. Otherwise complete the puzzle and finish.
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