Xbox Account Hacked? How to Get It Back and Lock It Down

If your Xbox account was hacked, recover it through Microsoft, because your Xbox profile is a Microsoft account. Reset the password at Microsoft’s official sign-in page, or use Microsoft’s account recovery form if the hacker changed your email and phone. Once you’re back in, sign out of all devices, turn on two-step verification, remove payment methods or devices you don’t recognize, and report any purchases you didn’t make to Xbox Support.

That same Microsoft account may also run your Outlook email, OneDrive files and Windows sign-in, so the fix is wider than one console. This guide covers the Xbox-specific parts: games, Game Pass, gift card balances, console settings and family accounts.

Signs your Xbox account has been hacked

• Microsoft emails about a password change, a new sign-in or a changed security email you didn’t make.
• Your password no longer works on the console, the Xbox app or the Microsoft website.
• Your gamertag, profile picture or bio changed.
• Game, add-on or currency purchases in your order history that you didn’t make, or a drained gift card balance.
• A Game Pass subscription upgraded, renewed or added without your say-so.
• Friends mention messages or party invites from you that you didn’t send.
• You’re signed out on your console because someone signed in elsewhere.

Be wary of the alert itself. Fake “Microsoft account” emails and texts are common phishing lures. Check your account by typing Microsoft’s address yourself, not by tapping a link in the message.

If you can still sign in: secure the account now

If your password still works, act quickly before the intruder changes it. Do this from a computer or phone you trust, not a friend’s console.

1. Change your password in your Microsoft account’s security settings. Use a long password you’ve never used anywhere else.
2. Check your security info. Look at the email addresses and phone numbers used for codes and recovery. Remove any you don’t recognize and make sure yours are current.
3. Review recent sign-in activity. Microsoft shows recent sign-ins with approximate locations. If you see ones you don’t recognize, that confirms someone got in.
4. Sign out everywhere. Microsoft’s advanced security options include a way to sign out of all devices and apps. Use it, then sign back in on your own devices.
5. Turn on two-step verification. An authenticator app, a passkey or a security key is stronger than a text code.
6. Remove unfamiliar devices and apps. Check the devices linked to your account and the apps with access to it, and remove anything you don’t know.

If you’re locked out: Microsoft’s official recovery routes

If the hacker changed your password, there are two routes. Both are free and both are run by Microsoft.

Reset your password

Go to Microsoft’s sign-in page, enter the email address or phone number on the account, and choose the forgot-password option. Microsoft sends a code to your security email or phone. If those still belong to you, this is usually quick.

Use the account recovery form

If the hacker changed your security info too, Microsoft’s account recovery form is the route. It asks for a contact email that isn’t the hacked account, then questions only the owner is likely to know: old passwords, recent email subjects if you use Outlook, and details about Xbox, such as your gamertag, the console you use or recent purchases.

A few things help. Fill it in from a device and network you’ve used with the account before. Give as much accurate detail as you can, and don’t guess wildly. If the first attempt is rejected, you can try again with more information. Our Microsoft account recovery guide goes through the form in more depth.

Check purchases, Game Pass and payment methods

Hacked Xbox accounts are usually targeted for money: stored cards, gift card balances and digital items that can be resold. Once you’re back in, go through these in order.

• Order history: review games, add-ons, in-game currency and gift card redemptions. Note anything you didn’t buy.
• Payment options: remove cards or PayPal accounts you don’t recognize. If your card was used, call your card issuer on the number on the back of the card and ask about disputing the charges and replacing the card.
• Subscriptions: check Game Pass and any other subscriptions. Turn off recurring billing for anything you didn’t choose.
• Microsoft account balance and Rewards: check whether gift card funds or Rewards points were spent or redeemed.
• Report unauthorized purchases: contact Xbox Support through Microsoft’s official support site. Refunds are decided case by case, so report as soon as you can and include dates and order details.

If a hacker used your card on other sites too, work through our guide for a bank account hacked situation, which covers freezing cards and reporting fraud.

Secure your console

Your console has its own settings that make a takeover more or less damaging.

• Sign-in and purchase protection: the Xbox console’s sign-in and security settings let you require a passkey (a short PIN) to sign in, make purchases or change settings. Turn this on, especially on a shared console.
• Home Xbox: only set your own console as your home Xbox. If a hacker set a different console as home, change it back once you’re in.
• Remove old profiles: if you’ve signed in on a friend’s console or a store demo unit, remove your profile from it or sign out of all devices from your account.
• Keep the console updated so it has the latest security fixes.

If it’s a child’s account or a family account

Many Xbox accounts belong to children and sit inside a Microsoft family group, where a parent is the organizer. That changes the recovery steps a little.

• Child accounts are still Microsoft accounts. The child’s account is recovered the same way, but as the parent you may need to supply details or complete the recovery form on their behalf.
• Check the family group. Make sure the hacker hasn’t removed the child from your family group, added a new organizer or relaxed the content, spending and communication limits. Microsoft Family Safety is where you review this.
• Check who the child can talk to. Hacked accounts are sometimes used to send friend requests or messages to other children. Review the friends list and privacy settings.
• Turn off stored card spending on child accounts and use allowance or gift card funds instead, so a future takeover can’t reach your card.
• Talk to your child about how it happened. Many kids’ accounts are lost to “free currency” sites, fake giveaways or friends who asked for the password.

A worked example

This is an illustrative scenario, not a real client. Anselm’s 13-year-old signs into a site promising free in-game currency, entering the family’s shared Microsoft email and password. By the evening, the password is changed and a new phone number is added. Two game purchases show up on Anselm’s card.

The same Microsoft account runs the family’s Outlook email, so both are now locked. Anselm fills in Microsoft’s account recovery form from the family laptop they always use, listing the gamertag, the console model and the last purchases he remembers. While he waits, he calls his card issuer and asks them to block the card and dispute the two charges.

When the account is restored, he changes the password, removes the unknown phone number, signs out of all devices and turns on two-step verification with an authenticator app. He sets up a separate child account for his son inside the family group, with spending limits and a console passkey for purchases, and reports the two orders to Xbox Support.

What not to do

• Don’t pay a recovery service or anyone offering to “unban” or “recover” your gamertag.
• Don’t buy or sell Xbox accounts. It breaks Microsoft’s terms, and bought accounts are often taken back by their original owners through recovery.
• Don’t share your password with friends so they can play your games. Use Microsoft’s official game sharing options instead.
• Don’t enter your Microsoft login on “free Game Pass” or “free currency” sites. They are a common source of hacked accounts.
• Don’t open several recovery requests at once with conflicting details.
• Don’t ignore the email account. If the attacker still controls your security email, they can reset the Microsoft account again.

How to stop it happening again

• Use a unique password for your Microsoft account, stored in a password manager.
• Turn on two-step verification, and consider a passkey, which is much harder to phish.
• Keep your security email and phone number current so recovery works if you need it.
• Protect your phone number with a carrier PIN to stop SIM swaps.
• Check whether your email appears in known breaches with Have I Been Pwned, and change any reused passwords.
• Use the console passkey for purchases and sign-in on shared consoles.
• If you also play Minecraft with the same Microsoft account or game on PlayStation, see our guides to a hacked Minecraft account and a hacked PlayStation account.

If the hacker used your gamertag or linked social accounts to post abuse or scams under your name, clean that up too: delete what you can, warn friends and report fake profiles. Our hacked account first steps cover the universal checklist, and if content posted in your name is now showing up when people search for you, our personal reputation management team can help.

Frequently asked questions

How do I recover a hacked Xbox account?

Reset your Microsoft account password through Microsoft’s sign-in page. If the hacker changed your email and phone, use Microsoft’s account recovery form and give as many accurate details as you can, including your gamertag and recent purchases.

Will Microsoft refund purchases made on my hacked Xbox account?

Microsoft reviews unauthorized purchases case by case. Report them to Xbox Support as soon as possible with order details, and contact your card issuer, who may be able to dispute the charges.

Can someone hack my Xbox account with two-step verification on?

It’s much harder. Most successful attacks trick the owner into entering a code on a fake page or approving a sign-in prompt, or take over the phone number through a SIM swap. Never share codes and use a passkey or authenticator app where you can.

Why was my Xbox account hacked?

Common causes are a password reused from another site that was breached, phishing sites offering free games or currency, and sharing the password with friends. Accounts with stored cards, gift card balances or rare items are attractive targets.

Can I get my gamertag back if the hacker changed it?

Once you recover the account, you can usually change the gamertag back through your Xbox profile settings, as long as the name hasn’t been taken. Contact Xbox Support if you have trouble.