Create a free Microsoft account or Outlook.com address

A free Microsoft account signs you in to Outlook.com, OneDrive, Teams (free), Xbox and Windows. You can take a new Outlook.com email address or use your existing one. This article shows how to create an account and secure it properly straight away.

Create an account

1. Go to account.microsoft.com and select Create account. Or go to outlook.com > Create free account.
2. Choose a new email address (@outlook.com or @hotmail.com), or select Use your existing email address.
3. Pick a strong password.
4. Enter your name, country and date of birth.
5. Confirm with the code you receive by email or text, and complete the check that you're not a robot.

Secure it straight away

• Go to account.microsoft.com > Security.
• Turn on two-step verification with the Microsoft Authenticator app.
• Add a passkey (Windows Hello, Face ID or Touch ID), so you no longer need a password.
• Add a recovery email or phone number so you can get back in if you forget your password.

What can you do with it?

• Outlook.com: free email and calendar.
• OneDrive: 5 GB of free storage.
• Word, Excel and PowerPoint on the web, for free.
• Microsoft Teams (free) for chat and video calls with family and friends. Read create a free Teams account.
• Sign in to Windows, so your settings and BitLocker key are backed up.

Work account or personal account?

A Microsoft account is personal. Your work or school account comes from your organisation. Don't mix them up: keep work files out of your personal OneDrive. Related: remove a device from your Microsoft account.

Read also

How to create a free Microsoft Teams account
How to remove a device from your Microsoft account or Microsoft 365 account
Have I Been Pwned: check whether your email is in a data breach

Nederlandstalige versie: Een gratis Microsoft-account of Outlook.com-adres aanmaken

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