Microsoft restored Bitcoin as a way to add money to a Microsoft account on January 8, 2018, after briefly suspending it. It was not a general option to pay with Bitcoin for any Microsoft product: Bitcoin was converted into account credit for eligible purchases. Current Microsoft support pages describe adding account money with gift cards or codes, not Bitcoin, so the 2018 report does not establish that the option is available today.
What happened on January 8, 2018?
Microsoft briefly removed Bitcoin from its online payment options, then restored it later the same day. A Microsoft spokesperson told Thurrott that the company had worked with its payment provider to make lower Bitcoin amounts redeemable. The report described an operational fix after a short suspension, not a broad new commitment to cryptocurrency.
The immediate context was Bitcoin’s sharp price volatility and rising transaction fees. Volatility can change the fiat value of a payment quickly; network fees can also make a small transfer disproportionately costly. The report linked those pressures to the interruption, but did not publish a detailed list of Microsoft’s or its provider’s processing concerns.
How Bitcoin funded a Microsoft account
The historical setup was closer to buying Microsoft account credit with Bitcoin than paying Bitcoin directly at every checkout. Preserved Microsoft support instructions described signing in to an account, opening Payment & billing, choosing Payment options, and selecting Redeem bitcoin. The user chose an amount, reviewed a Bitcoin payment request, then paid from a wallet using a link, QR code, or copied address.
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Those old instructions required payment within 15 minutes of receiving the request. They are historical directions from 2018, not verified steps for the current account interface. The key distinction is that Microsoft received Bitcoin to fund an account balance; that balance, rather than Bitcoin itself at each product checkout, was used for eligible purchases.
What the Bitcoin-funded balance could buy
The archived instructions listed games, movies, and apps in the Windows and Xbox stores as eligible uses. They also said the balance could not be used to buy items from Microsoft’s online hardware store or to purchase gift cards. “Microsoft Store” therefore did not mean every Microsoft product or sales channel.
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Availability also varied by country or region. The historical material does not establish that every account holder could use the feature, and the restrictions should not be generalized beyond the instructions preserved at the time.
Historical payment risks and troubleshooting
- Small amounts: Microsoft said it worked with its provider to make lower amounts redeemable. The change appears to have addressed the viability of small deposits, not expanded the types of purchases Bitcoin could fund.
- Delayed credit: The old instructions said most payments processed immediately, but advised waiting up to two hours before contacting support if the balance did not appear.
- Nonrefundable deposits: The instructions said money added using Bitcoin could not be refunded. That made checking the requested amount and destination address especially important.
- Payment evidence: For a problem, the instructions called for transaction details, including the amount, date, sending and receiving addresses, and the blockchain transaction ID or URL. A mistaken address or amount is not handled like a routine card authorization.
Does Microsoft still accept Bitcoin?
Microsoft’s current instructions for adding money to an account describe redeeming a Microsoft gift card or code; they do not list Bitcoin. Its current account-balance guidance explains eligible spending but likewise does not identify Bitcoin as a funding method.
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That evidence supports treating Bitcoin funding as historical, not as a currently confirmed payment option. It does not, by itself, establish a formal announcement that Microsoft permanently discontinued Bitcoin. Anyone relying on an old tutorial or screenshot should check the payment options actually shown for their account rather than assume the 2018 flow still works.
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