That verification method isn't working right now: how to fix it on a Microsoft account?

The message That verification method isn't working right now is a Microsoft account block, not a Windows fault. Microsoft has stopped sending codes to this phone or email for a while, usually after unusual activity or too many requests. Pick another method on the same screen first, then switch network and wait a day.

Facts checked on 15 October 2026. Steps written for the Microsoft account sign-in and password reset pages in Edge, Chrome and Firefox on Windows 11 (25H2 and 26H2) and Windows 10 22H2, read against Microsoft Support.

What "That verification method isn't working right now" means

Before Microsoft lets you sign in, reset a password or change a setting, it asks you to prove who you are with a code sent to a phone or email on the account. When you pick one of them and Microsoft will not send to it, the window changes to Try another verification method with this text: That verification method isn't working right now. Please try another method.

Nothing is broken on your PC. Microsoft scores every sign-in and every code request, and when yours looks risky it blocks that one method for a while. That is why the text says right now and points you to another method. The same block can come back in shorter forms:

Why this verification method is not working: causes from the most common

Microsoft lists four reasons for the block and four reasons why codes do not arrive. We ranked them by how often they explain a single failing method. Treat the order as our reading of Microsoft's page and of the Microsoft Q&A threads, not as a statistic.

How to fix "That verification method isn't working right now"

The fixes follow the order Microsoft gives on its verification code page, then the recovery paths. After each fix, request one code only, and wait a few minutes for it before you ask again. When the code arrives and the page moves on, you are done.

Fix 1. Go back and choose another verification method

2 minutesNo riskEveryone whose account lists more than one way to verify: a second phone, an alternate email or the Microsoft Authenticator app.

Microsoft says the block may be tied to the one method you are using. If texts to your phone are blocked, a code to the alternate email usually still goes through, because the block sits on the method, not on the whole account.

1. Close the message and select Back, or start the sign-in or password reset again.
2. On Verify your identity, pick a method you did not use before, such as Email instead of Text.
3. Type the hidden part of the address or number when Microsoft asks for it. It shows only the first two characters of an email and the last two digits of a phone.
4. Select Get code once and give it a few minutes.
5. Look in the junk folder too. Real codes come from an @accountprotection.microsoft.com address.
6. Enter the code and continue.

Fix 2. Switch to another network and turn off the VPN

5 minutesNo riskYou have only one method, you use a VPN or proxy, or you are on public, hotel or office Wi-Fi.

Microsoft's risk check looks at where the request comes from. Its own fix list says to switch between Wi-Fi and mobile data or to choose another Wi-Fi network. A VPN exit address shared by many users can look like the compromised traffic Microsoft blocks.

1. Disconnect any VPN or proxy on the PC or phone you use for the sign-in.
2. If you were on Wi-Fi, turn Wi-Fi off on your phone and use mobile data. If you were on mobile data, join your home Wi-Fi.
3. Use a device and a place where you usually sign in, such as your own PC at home.
4. Start the sign-in or reset again and ask for one code.

If the PC itself has no connection problem, nothing else on Windows needs to change. If pages load slowly or not at all, check the connection first: How to check your internet connection in Windows.

Fix 3. Stop requesting codes and wait 24 hours, up to a week

1 to 7 daysNo riskYou asked for many codes, every method fails, or Fix 1 and Fix 2 did not help.

The block is a time lock. Microsoft writes that waiting a day is often enough, that repeated attempts may reset the time lock, and that after 24 hours you should wait longer, as long as possible up to a week.

1. Close every Microsoft sign-in window on all your devices.
2. Do not request codes, reset the password or open the recovery form during the wait.
3. After 24 hours, try once, from your usual device and network.
4. If the message is still there, wait again, up to a week in total, and try once more.

Fix 4. Start a fresh browser session in a private window

5 minutesNo riskThe page behaves oddly, you are signed in to several Microsoft accounts, or your alternate email is itself an Outlook.com, Hotmail, Live or MSN address.

Microsoft explains that when you open the second Microsoft account to read the code, most browsers sign you out of the first one, the one that asked for the code. Two private windows keep both sessions apart. A private window also starts without old cookies.

1. In Edge press Ctrl + Shift + N for an InPrivate window. In Chrome press Ctrl + Shift + N for an Incognito window. In Firefox press Ctrl + Shift + P.
2. Start the sign-in or password reset for the account you want to open, and ask for the code to the alternate email.
3. Do not close that window. Open a second private window.
4. In the second window sign in to the alternate email, find the message from the Microsoft account team and copy the code.
5. Go back to the first window, enter the code and follow the instructions.

If a normal window still misbehaves after that, clear the cookies and cache for the last hour or day. Clearing cookies signs you out of other sites. Step by step: Clear the browser cache and cookies

Fix 5. Check and update your security info from a device that is still signed in

10 minutesLow riskYou are still signed in to the account somewhere (Outlook on your phone, a PC, Xbox) and the phone number or email on file is wrong, old or a VOIP number.

Microsoft does not accept VOIP numbers for codes, shows only part of each number or address, and cannot send to info you no longer have. Adding a working method while you are signed in gives Microsoft a second route for the next time.

1. On the signed-in device, open account.microsoft.com and select Security.
2. Open Advanced security options. Microsoft may ask you to verify once more with a method that works.
3. Under Ways to prove who you are, expand each entry and check the phone number and email.
4. Select Add a new way to sign in or verify and add a mobile number from a regular carrier, an email you use or the Authenticator app.
5. Enter the code Microsoft sends to the new method and select Next.
6. Only then expand the method you lost or that is a VOIP number and select Remove, then Remove again.

Fix 6. Run the Sign-in helper and replace your security info

15 minutes, then 30 daysLow riskYou know your password, but you no longer have any of the phones or emails on the account.

This is Microsoft's own path for a known password with all security info lost. The 30-day wait protects the account: if a thief started the change, you can still stop it with the old info.

1. Open Microsoft's Sign-in helper from the page Troubleshoot Microsoft verification code issues and answer its questions. It may find a path that fits your case.
2. If it sends you to sign in, start the sign-in to your Microsoft account with your password.
3. At the Verify your identity prompt, select I don't have any of these.
4. Follow the instructions to add new security info and confirm it with the code sent there.
5. Wait 30 days. Microsoft then lets you sign in with the new info.

Fix 7. Fill in the Microsoft account recovery form

30 minutes, answer within 24 hoursNo riskYou know neither the password nor any working method, and the account does not use two-step verification.

The form is an automated check that asks what only the owner can know. Microsoft reviews the answers and replies within 24 hours. It is the last route Microsoft offers, and support staff cannot bypass it.

1. Prepare a working email address that is not the locked account. A friend's address or a new free Outlook.com account is fine.
2. Collect what you can: old passwords, contacts you wrote to, exact subject lines of recent emails, Skype contacts, the hardware ID of an Xbox you used.
3. Use a device and a place where you often used the account, such as your home PC.
4. Open the recovery form from Microsoft's page Help with the Microsoft account recovery form.
5. Answer every question you can. Microsoft says guessing is fine and wrong answers do not count against you.
6. Wait for the result at the working email, within 24 hours. If Microsoft could not verify you, try again, up to two times a day.

Still blocked: what support can do and when the account is out of reach

Microsoft support can explain your options, but it cannot lift the block for you. Microsoft writes that its agents are not allowed to send verification codes or password reset links, or to access and change account details. Knowing this saves hours of chat.

To reach a person, go to support.microsoft.com, open Contact Microsoft Support, type your problem and select Get Help, then Contact Support. Tell them which message you see, when it started and what you tried.

Prevent the block next time

• Keep two or more methods on the account: a mobile number, an email you check and the Microsoft Authenticator app.
• Do not rely on SMS alone. Microsoft says it is phasing out SMS as a way to sign in and recover personal Microsoft accounts.
• Never use a VOIP number for codes. Microsoft does not accept them.
• Request one code and wait for it. Repeated requests are a listed cause of the block.
• Stay signed in on one trusted device, such as your phone, so you can fix security info from there.
• Update your info before you change number, and never change all methods on the same day.

Frequently asked questions

How do I fix this problem?

Go back on the sign-in screen and choose another verification method, such as an email code instead of a text. If you have only one method, switch to another network, turn off any VPN, and stop asking for codes for 24 hours. Microsoft says waiting a day is often enough and repeated attempts may reset the lock. If you lost every method, use I don't have any of these, or the account recovery form when you also forgot the password.

Why isn't my verification method working?

Microsoft has blocked that method for a while. Its page names four reasons: unusual activity on the account, too many code requests to the same phone or email, a breach of the terms of service, and heavy compromised traffic from your region. The phone number itself can also be the problem: a VOIP number is not accepted, and some phones block texts from unknown senders. None of these is a fault on your Windows PC.

How long does the "Try another verification method" block last?

Microsoft gives no fixed time. It writes that waiting a day can be enough, and that with no change after 24 hours you should wait longer, as long as possible up to a week. Do not keep trying in the meantime, because repeated attempts may reset the time lock. Region blocks clear by themselves, Microsoft says. Replacing all your security info takes a fixed 30 days.

What does "Password sign-in isn't available. Try another method." mean?

It is a related screen: Microsoft will not accept a password for this sign-in and wants another way to prove it is you. We could not confirm a Microsoft page for this exact text. One likely case is an account that went passwordless, because Microsoft says going passwordless removes the password. Pick another way from the list, such as the Authenticator app, Windows Hello or an email code, and use the fixes above if that method is blocked too.

What is err.factor.deny_no_confirm_methods?

It is an internal error key, not a message written for people. Its words read as a denial because no method to confirm the action is available, which matches this block. We could not confirm which service or app shows it, and Microsoft does not document it. If you see it on a Microsoft sign-in, treat it like this message: choose another method, switch network and wait. If it appears in another service, contact that service.

Outlook says "This page isn't working right now". Is it the same error?

No. That text is a page loading error, not a verification block. It usually means the site or your browser session failed to load the page. Reload with Ctrl + F5, or try a private window or another browser. If Outlook then asks you to verify and shows That verification method isn't working right now, use the fixes on this page.

Can Microsoft support send me a code or unlock my account?

No. Microsoft states that its support agents are not allowed to send verification codes or password reset links, or to access and change account details. They can point you to the Sign-in helper, the security info change and the recovery form. If a website or a person offers to restore a Microsoft account for a fee, treat it as a scam.

Why does Microsoft not send codes to my Google Voice or internet phone number?

Microsoft does not accept VOIP numbers as a way to sign in or to receive verification codes. Services such as Google Voice and other internet numbers fall into that group. Add a mobile number from a regular carrier, an email address or the Authenticator app instead, and remove the VOIP number only after the new method is confirmed.

I can't sign in to Windows with my PIN either. Is that the same problem?

Not quite. Windows Hello PIN errors happen on the PC and have their own fixes, while this message comes from your Microsoft account online. They meet when Windows asks you to verify the account to reset the PIN, and the code is blocked. Then fix the code with this page first. For PIN lockouts on the PC itself, see our guide on the incorrect PIN too many times error.