Minecraft: first sign-in, changing your email, and renaming

Every Minecraft account is now tied to a Microsoft account, not the old Mojang account. So when you change the email or password, you do it on Microsoft's site, not minecraft.net.

Takes about 10 minutes.

Java versus Bedrock

Most accounts we sell include both editions on one account. Check at minecraft.net/msaprofile after signing in.

Before you start

Keep the order page open. It has two boxes:

• Minecraft Login Data — the Microsoft account's email and password
• Email Login Data — the mailbox tied to the account, and its password

Steps

Step 1 — Sign in on the website first

Click Login Page, or open minecraft.net/login and choose to sign in with a Microsoft account.

Use a private/incognito window if your browser is already signed in to your own Microsoft account — otherwise it will take you to your account instead.

Step 2 — Enter the email and password

Copy them from the Minecraft Login Data box.

Step 3 — Get the verification code

Microsoft sends a code to the account's email address. Go back to the order page, click Get OTP Code From Email, and paste the code.

If no code appears, click Show full emails — Microsoft usually sends a 7-digit code in the message body.

Step 4 — Change the Microsoft account's email

1. Open account.microsoft.com and sign in with this account
2. Go to Your info → Edit account info
3. Click Add email and enter your own address
4. Confirm the new address from your own inbox
5. Come back and set the new address as the Primary alias
6. Only then remove the old address

Follow that order exactly. Microsoft will not let you remove the old address before a new verified one exists.

Step 5 — Change the password

At account.microsoft.com/security, choose Change password.

Step 6 — Turn on two-step verification

Same page → Advanced security options → enable Two-step verification, and save the recovery code — it is shown only once.

Step 7 — Change your username and skin

At minecraft.net/msaprofile:

• Username can be changed every 30 days. Names already in use are unavailable.
• Skin — upload your own PNG, no limit on how often.
• Cape — if the account came with a cape, you pick it here. Capes cannot be transferred to another account; they are permanently tied to this one.

What to watch out for

• Never convert the account into a child account. Child accounts under Microsoft Family get online play and server access restricted, and it is hard to undo.
• Do not remove the old email address until the new one is the primary alias.

If you get stuck

Microsoft asks for extra verification you cannot provide (an old phone number, say)

This happens when Microsoft considers the sign-in location unusual. Try signing in again from the network you used successfully before, or wait 24 hours and retry. If it still fails, contact an admin.

You can sign in to minecraft.net but the game says you do not own it

Check at minecraft.net/msaprofile whether the account actually has the edition you want to play — Java and Bedrock are listed separately. If it does not match what you ordered, contact an admin.

You cannot change the username, it says you have to wait

Mojang limits name changes to once every 30 days. If the previous owner changed it recently, you have to wait out the remainder.

Related guides

• Read the account's mailbox