Templates / IT help desk
How to Reset a User’s Password in Microsoft 365
The standard help desk procedure for resetting a Microsoft 365 user’s password from the admin center and getting them back in safely.
- Verify the caller’s identity
Follow your company’s identity check (callback number, manager approval, or ticket from their verified email) before changing anything.
- Sign in to the Microsoft 365 admin center
Go to admin.microsoft.com with an account that has the User Administrator or Helpdesk Administrator role.
- Open Users → Active users
Search for the user by name or email.
- Select the user and click “Reset password”
- Choose “Automatically create a password”
Leave “Require this user to change their password when they first sign in” checked.
- Copy the temporary password
Never send it in the same channel as the username. Read it out on the call or use a secure share link.
- Confirm the user can sign in
Stay on the call while they sign in at office.com and set a new password.
- Check MFA and close the ticket
If they lost their MFA device, re-register methods under “Manage multifactor authentication”, then note the work done in the ticket.
- Never reset an admin account’s password over the phone without a second approver.
- If resets for the same user keep repeating, offer self-service password reset (SSPR).
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