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Microsoft Accounts Get Two factor Authentication

Microsoft has just announced that it will be rolling out two-factor authentication to all Microsoft accounts within the next few days. The two-factor authentication will be made available, as an optional but recommended security measure, to all 700 million people that have accounts at Microsoft, and will be used across all products and services that require a Microsoft Account. This includes Windows 8, Windows Phone, Outlook.com, Xbox, SkyDrive, Office, and more.

Microsoft’s two-factor authentication works essentially the same way other two-factor authentication systems work: you login to your Microsoft account using your password, and then enter an authentication code sent to you via text message or SMS, or generated by an authentication app.

To generate the authentication code in your smartphone, Microsoft offers an authentication app for Windows Phone. The good thing is the system uses the standard protocol for two-step verification codes, the same one Google uses for their system. As a result, Google’s authenticator app can be used to authenticate a Microsoft account and vice-versa.

You can enable two-factor authentication, once it becomes available on your account from this page.

See all services that support two-factor authentication.

Related: How to Use Google Authenticator Without a Mobile Phone

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