I need help resetting my child's password

For a child account created under Microsoft Family, the child’s Microsoft account is still a normal Microsoft account, so password reset and recovery use the standard Microsoft account tools.

Use these steps:

1. Go through the standard password reset flow
   • On the Microsoft sign-in page for the child account, select Forgotten your password?.
   • Or use the Reset password link: Reset password.
   • Enter the child’s Microsoft account email address and select Next.
2. Verify identity using security info
   • Choose one of the verification options (phone, email, etc.) that were configured when the child account was created.
   • If no usable option appears, or none of them work, use the sign‑in helper tool instead of repeating failed attempts.
3. Use the Sign‑in Helper tool if normal reset fails
   • Open the Sign-in Helper: Sign-in Helper.
   • Enter the child’s email or phone used for the account and follow the guided steps. The tool checks for common issues and will direct to the correct recovery path.
4. If the system says “not enough information” or “account not recognized”
   • Confirm the child’s email address spelling and domain (for example, outlook.com, hotmail.com, or country variants like .co.uk).
   • If the email still isn’t recognized, follow the guidance in My username and password have stopped working and use the Recover your account flow from there.
5. If recovery still fails
   • Use the Microsoft account recovery form only if prompted by the helper tools and provide as much detail as possible. For new/unused accounts, details may be limited, which can cause “not enough information” messages.
   • If the account cannot be recovered because there is not enough data to prove ownership, the practical option is to create a new child Microsoft account in the Family group and use that one going forward.

For the child’s Windows sign-in on the device, also verify in Settings > Accounts > Family & other users that the child account is correctly added and set as a Standard user, as described in the Family Safety troubleshooting guidance.

References:

• Reset a forgotten Microsoft account password
• I can't sign in to my Microsoft account
• My username and password have stopped working
• Help with the Microsoft account recovery form
• Troubleshooting Microsoft Family Safety