Microsoft account
user account that provides access to Microsoft-owned services
A Microsoft account (MSA; previously known as Microsoft Passport, .NET Passport, and Windows Live ID) is a single sign-on personal user account for Microsoft customers to log in to consumer Microsoft services (like Outlook.com), devices running on one of Microsoft's current operating systems (e.g. Microsoft Windows computers and tablets, Xbox consoles), and Microsoft application software (e.g. Microsoft Office, Microsoft Teams).
Overview
A Microsoft account allows users to sign into websites that support this service using a single set of credentials - these usernames are in the same form as an email address. There are two different methods for creating an account:
Use an existing e-mail address: Users are able to use their own valid e-mail address to sign up for a Microsoft account. The service turns the requesting user's e-mail address into a Microsoft account ID. Users may also choose a password of their own choice.
Sign up for a Microsoft e-mail address: Users can also sign up for a free e-mail account through Outlook.com or MSN, with Microsoft's webmail services designated domains (i.e. @hotmail.com, @outlook.com, @msn.com) that can be used as a Microsoft account to sign into other Microsoft account-enabled websites.
The domains @live.com and @passport.com, as well as other domains are no longer offered, but existing accounts are maintained.
Microsoft websites, services, and apps such as Bing, MSN and Xbox Live use Microsoft account as a means of identifying users.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Microsoft account” as user account that provides access to Microsoft-owned services. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
Why this record matters
The subject matters to the general reference register because the source frames it as user account that provides access to Microsoft-owned services. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
The citation trail is more important than the brevity of the summary: it shows where individual claims can be examined in context. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 5, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q641542. None of the 1 selected statements returned an explicit reference.
Overview language is designed for orientation and should not be treated as a substitute for the evidence cited beneath it. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.
- Subject orientation
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- Locating named sources
The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Microsoft account”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Microsoft account primary sources, Microsoft account archive and Microsoft research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Microsoft account”?
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- Which cited source is closest to the event, object or claim?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Microsoft account” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.