Guides / Entra ID / Azure AD password reset email or code not arriving

Last reviewed 5 Oct 2026

Entra ID / Azure AD password reset email or code not arriving

Self-service password reset email or SMS never arrives? Check SSPR registration, filters and lockouts before you declare Entra ID down.

The user is on the password reset page. They ask for an email or a text. Nothing arrives. Twenty minutes later the ticket says "Azure AD is down" or "nobody can reset passwords". One silent SSPR attempt is not an outage. Work the registration and delivery path before you frighten the whole company.

Is Entra ID down?

A real Entra incident that breaks password reset usually breaks sign-in more widely and appears on the Entra ID status page and in Service health. If colleagues can sign in and reset, keep this as a per-user ticket. The product name on the page may still say Azure AD; the admin centres now say Microsoft Entra ID.

User-level checks

1. Confirm they are on the work reset page. Work or school passwords reset through Microsoft's SSPR flow (often reached from the sign-in page via "Can't access your account" / "Forgot password"). Personal Microsoft account resets are a different system and will not change a work password.
2. Try the other registered method. If email is quiet, use the phone or Authenticator if it is registered. If nothing is registered, they cannot self-serve — an admin must help.
3. Wait and check junk. SSPR emails can land in junk or a third-party phishing filter. Search for sender addresses from Microsoft onboarding / account security, and check quarantine.
4. SMS gaps. Wrong country code, a VoIP number that cannot receive SMS, or a full handset inbox will fail silently from the user's point of view. Ask them to read back the last four digits shown on the reset page.
5. Do not hammer the request. Repeated resets can trigger throttling or lockouts. Space attempts and note the time for the admin.

Admin checks

• SSPR enabled and licensed. In the Entra admin centre, under Password reset, confirm Self-service password reset is enabled for the user's group and that the tenant meets the licensing Microsoft requires for the features you use.
• Authentication methods. Open the user → Authentication methods. You should see the phone or email you expect. An empty list means they never completed registration (or an admin cleared it). Use Temporary Access Pass or a helpdesk reset if your process allows.
• SSRP registration campaign. If users were meant to register at aka.ms/ssprsetup and did not, reset will fail until they enrol from a machine where they can still sign in.
• On-premises writeback. Hybrid tenants need password writeback healthy on Microsoft Entra Connect. If cloud reset succeeds but the on-prem password stays old, writeback or AD connectivity is the incident — not SSPR email delivery.
• Mail flow for the SSPR address. If the registered email is an external Gmail or a shared mailbox with heavy filtering, fix delivery there. Prefer a phone or Authenticator method for staff who travel.
• Lockout and risky sign-in. A user flagged for risk or locked after failed MFA may be blocked mid-reset. Check sign-in logs and Identity Protection before repeating SSPR.

Helpdesk reset without SSPR

From Entra or the Microsoft 365 admin centre, an admin can reset the password and tick "Require this user to change their password". Deliver the temporary password out of band. If the user also lost MFA, combine this with a Temporary Access Pass or an authentication-methods reset — a password alone will not clear a lost-phone MFA block.

When to escalate

Escalate to Microsoft when SSPR is configured correctly, methods are registered, writeback is healthy, and many users stop receiving Microsoft security emails or SMS at once while Service health is quiet. Include timestamps, method type, and correlation IDs from the reset page. For one user with no methods registered, it is a registration ticket.

Related status pages

• Microsoft Entra ID
• Microsoft 365
• Outlook

Related guides

• Microsoft 365 sign-in loop or 'More information required'
• Microsoft Authenticator not getting notifications: fixes
• Lost phone or new phone: Microsoft Authenticator recovery

FAQ

Why did my Entra password reset email not arrive?

Often the email method is not registered, the message is in junk or quarantine, or you used a personal Microsoft account reset by mistake. Check authentication methods with IT and try SMS or Authenticator if registered.

Where do users register for self-service password reset?

Usually https://aka.ms/ssprsetup while they can still sign in. Admins enable SSPR in the Entra admin centre and choose which groups may use it.

Does a failed password reset mean Entra ID is down?

Not by itself. If other users can sign in and reset, check this account's methods, lockout and mail filtering. Use the Entra status page only when resets fail broadly.

What if the user has no phone and no email registered?

They cannot complete SSPR. An admin must reset the password and, if MFA is also missing, issue a Temporary Access Pass or reset authentication methods under your change process.