Microsoft wants a phone number, and it does not take no for an answer. No code, no charge: nothing is billed for a number that stays silent. So borrow one — choose a market in SMS For U, give the number to Microsoft, and the Microsoft code arrives in your account by itself, seconds after Microsoft sends it. 1,400 services sit in the same catalogue, with numbers from markets across Europe, the Americas, Asia and Africa.
How you get your code
- Look Microsoft up in the SMS For U catalogue.
- Take a country from the ones the app is offering for Microsoft today.
- Confirm the order; the Microsoft number is live from that second.
- Type it in at the sign-up form, or Security → Add a way to sign in on Microsoft and ask to be sent the code.
- The code turns up in your SMS For U account unprompted — copy it into Microsoft and you are through.
Why a phone number is asked for
Microsoft is a single login with a lot behind it, so the number is how it proves it is you and how you get back in. Microsoft asks for it on the sign-up form, before the account exists at all. The number goes in at: the sign-up form, or Security → Add a way to sign in. Microsoft can ask for the same number again later — on a new device, after a password change or during a routine check. Bear that in mind before you tie an account to a number you will not have access to in a month.
What the code looks like
Microsoft sends a short numeric code by SMS. You do not have to go looking for it: the Microsoft code drops into your SMS For U account by itself, seconds after Microsoft lets it go. Codes from Microsoft go stale fast; use it as soon as it lands rather than later. One number can usually serve more than one Microsoft account, although Microsoft may limit that.
What can go wrong
Microsoft accepts numbers from many countries but not from all of them. Which countries work for Microsoft changes over time, because Microsoft adjusts its checks and because the available ranges of numbers change. That is the honest state of it — we can hand you a number, we cannot make Microsoft take it. Read none of this as Microsoft committing to anything. We keep success numbers off the page on purpose: they age faster than the page does.
Countries we serve
Numbers for Microsoft come from the 50 markets listed below, and the same list stands behind every other service in the catalogue. Read it as where we work, not as a statement that each of them is free for Microsoft at this moment — ranges of numbers are used up and refilled through the day. Which of them you can really pick for Microsoft is on the screen in the app where you choose one, and that screen is the only current answer.
- Germany
- Austria
- Switzerland
- United Kingdom
- France
- Spain
- Italy
- Netherlands
- Belgium
- Poland
- Portugal
- Sweden
- Norway
- Denmark
- Finland
- Ireland
- Czechia
- Slovakia
- Hungary
- Romania
- Bulgaria
- Croatia
- Slovenia
- Greece
- Estonia
- Latvia
- Lithuania
- Luxembourg
- Cyprus
- Malta
- Iceland
- USA
- Canada
- Brazil
- Mexico
- Argentina
- Colombia
- India
- Indonesia
- Philippines
- Vietnam
- Thailand
- Singapore
- Hong Kong
- Japan
- Australia
- South Africa
- Nigeria
- Turkey
- Ukraine
Common questions
How do I get a Microsoft verification code without my own SIM card?
Open SMS For U, search for Microsoft and pick a country. You get a real phone number, you enter it at Microsoft (the sign-up form, or Security → Add a way to sign in), and the code Microsoft sends appears in your SMS For U account by itself. No SIM card is involved, and the Microsoft number is not yours to keep.
How fast does the Microsoft code arrive?
The Microsoft code appears in your account within seconds of Microsoft sending it. How long Microsoft itself takes is up to Microsoft and to the country the number comes from, which is why nothing here is worded as a promise.
What happens if no Microsoft code arrives?
You do not pay for a Microsoft number that brought no code. Cancel the order in the app and the payment is refunded as soon as the cancellation is confirmed. That is the whole rule, and it is why a failed Microsoft attempt costs nothing: no code, no charge.
Which countries can I use for Microsoft?
Microsoft numbers come from the 50 markets listed on this page. Which of them can be picked for Microsoft at this moment is on the country screen in the app: that list moves through the day, and a page in a search index cannot keep up with it.
Can I use the same number for Microsoft again later?
Sometimes. Microsoft can ask for the same number again on a new device, and a used Microsoft number is not reserved for you indefinitely. If you need lasting access to a Microsoft account, use a number of your own.