diff --git a/client/i18n/locales/english/translations.json b/client/i18n/locales/english/translations.json
index ef9cfd61e51..ed73a5cfd91 100644
--- a/client/i18n/locales/english/translations.json
+++ b/client/i18n/locales/english/translations.json
@@ -450,7 +450,8 @@
       "link-li-3": "If you do not have a transcript link, click the \"Create link\" button to create one.",
       "link-li-4": "Click the \"Copy link\" button to copy the transcript URL.",
       "link-li-5": "Paste the URL into the input below and click \"Link Account\".",
-      "transcript-label": "Your Microsoft Transcript Link"
+      "transcript-label": "Your Microsoft Transcript Link",
+      "invalid-transcript": "Your transcript link is not correct, it should have the following form: <1>https://learn.microsoft.com/LOCALE/users/USERNAME/transcript/ID</1> - check the UPPERCASE items in your link are correct."
     }
   },
   "donate": {
diff --git a/client/src/templates/Challenges/ms-trophy/link-ms-user.tsx b/client/src/templates/Challenges/ms-trophy/link-ms-user.tsx
index 60c5109c041..78b20e579bd 100644
--- a/client/src/templates/Challenges/ms-trophy/link-ms-user.tsx
+++ b/client/src/templates/Challenges/ms-trophy/link-ms-user.tsx
@@ -3,16 +3,17 @@ import {
   Button,
   FormGroup,
   ControlLabel,
-  FormControl
+  FormControl,
+  HelpBlock
 } from '@freecodecamp/react-bootstrap';
-import { connect } from 'react-redux';
+import { ConnectedProps, connect } from 'react-redux';
 import { bindActionCreators } from 'redux';
 import type { Dispatch } from 'redux';
 import { createSelector } from 'reselect';
-import type { TFunction } from 'i18next';
-import { Trans, withTranslation } from 'react-i18next';
-import { Spacer } from '../../../components/helpers';
+import { Trans, useTranslation } from 'react-i18next';
 
+import { Spacer } from '../../../components/helpers';
+import { isMicrosoftTranscriptLink } from '../../../../../utils/validate';
 import {
   linkMsUsername,
   unlinkMsUsername,
@@ -27,7 +28,7 @@ import Login from '../../../components/Header/components/login';
 
 import './link-ms-user.css';
 
-const mapStateToProps = createSelector(
+const mapState = createSelector(
   isSignedInSelector,
   msUsernameSelector,
   isProcessingSelector,
@@ -42,7 +43,7 @@ const mapStateToProps = createSelector(
   })
 );
 
-const mapDispatchToProps = (dispatch: Dispatch) =>
+const mapDispatch = (dispatch: Dispatch) =>
   bindActionCreators(
     {
       linkMsUsername,
@@ -52,26 +53,20 @@ const mapDispatchToProps = (dispatch: Dispatch) =>
     dispatch
   );
 
-interface LinkMsUserProps {
-  isSignedIn: boolean;
-  msUsername: string | undefined | null;
-  linkMsUsername: (arg0: { msTranscriptUrl: string }) => void;
-  unlinkMsUsername: () => void;
-  isProcessing: boolean;
-  setIsProcessing: (arg0: boolean) => void;
-  t: TFunction;
-}
+const connector = connect(mapState, mapDispatch);
 
-export function LinkMsUser({
+type Props = ConnectedProps<typeof connector>;
+
+function LinkMsUser({
   isSignedIn,
   msUsername,
   linkMsUsername,
   unlinkMsUsername,
   isProcessing,
-  setIsProcessing,
-  t
-}: LinkMsUserProps): JSX.Element {
-  const [msTranscriptUrl, setMsTranscriptUrl] = useState<string>('');
+  setIsProcessing
+}: Props): JSX.Element {
+  const { t } = useTranslation();
+  const [msTranscriptUrl, setMsTranscriptUrl] = useState('');
 
   function handleLinkUsername(e: React.FormEvent) {
     e.preventDefault();
@@ -84,6 +79,11 @@ export function LinkMsUser({
     setMsTranscriptUrl(e.target.value);
   }
 
+  const isValid = isMicrosoftTranscriptLink(msTranscriptUrl);
+  const isPristine = msTranscriptUrl === '';
+  const isDisabled = isProcessing || !isValid;
+  const showWarning = !isPristine && !isValid;
+
   return !isSignedIn ? (
     <>
       <h2 className='link-ms-user-title'>{t('learn.ms.link-header')}</h2>
@@ -133,7 +133,7 @@ export function LinkMsUser({
 
           <Spacer size='medium' />
           <form onSubmit={handleLinkUsername}>
-            <FormGroup>
+            <FormGroup validationState={isValid ? 'success' : 'error'}>
               <ControlLabel>
                 <strong>{t('learn.ms.transcript-label')}</strong>
               </ControlLabel>
@@ -144,7 +144,7 @@ export function LinkMsUser({
               />
             </FormGroup>
             <Button
-              disabled={isProcessing || msTranscriptUrl.length === 0}
+              disabled={isDisabled}
               block={true}
               bsStyle='primary'
               className='btn-invert'
@@ -152,6 +152,13 @@ export function LinkMsUser({
             >
               {t('buttons.link-account')}
             </Button>
+            {showWarning && (
+              <HelpBlock>
+                <Trans i18nKey='learn.ms.invalid-transcript'>
+                  placeholder <code>placeholder</code> placeholder
+                </Trans>
+              </HelpBlock>
+            )}
           </form>
         </div>
       )}
@@ -161,7 +168,4 @@ export function LinkMsUser({
 
 LinkMsUser.displayName = 'LinkMsUser';
 
-export default connect(
-  mapStateToProps,
-  mapDispatchToProps
-)(withTranslation()(LinkMsUser));
+export default connector(LinkMsUser);
diff --git a/utils/validate.test.ts b/utils/validate.test.ts
index 9ed026e2ef5..7ad84ab327c 100644
--- a/utils/validate.test.ts
+++ b/utils/validate.test.ts
@@ -3,7 +3,8 @@ import {
   usernameTooShort,
   validationSuccess,
   usernameIsHttpStatusCode,
-  invalidCharError
+  invalidCharError,
+  isMicrosoftTranscriptLink
 } from './validate';
 
 function inRange(num: number, range: number[]) {
@@ -56,3 +57,60 @@ describe('isValidUsername', () => {
     }
   });
 });
+
+const baseUrl = 'https://learn.microsoft.com/';
+
+describe('isMicrosoftTranscriptLink', () => {
+  it('should reject links to domains other than learn.microsoft.com', () => {
+    {
+      expect(isMicrosoftTranscriptLink('https://lean.microsoft.com')).toBe(
+        false
+      );
+      expect(isMicrosoftTranscriptLink('https://learn.microsft.com')).toBe(
+        false
+      );
+    }
+  });
+
+  it('should reject links without a username', () => {
+    expect(isMicrosoftTranscriptLink(`${baseUrl}/en-us/users/`)).toBe(false);
+  });
+
+  it('should reject links without a unique id', () => {
+    expect(
+      isMicrosoftTranscriptLink(`${baseUrl}/en-us/users/moT01/transcript`)
+    ).toBe(false);
+  });
+
+  it('should reject links with anything after the unique id', () => {
+    expect(
+      isMicrosoftTranscriptLink(
+        `${baseUrl}/en-us/users/moT01/transcript/any-id/more-stuff`
+      )
+    ).toBe(false);
+  });
+
+  it('should reject the placeholder link', () => {
+    expect(
+      isMicrosoftTranscriptLink(
+        'https://learn.microsoft.com/LOCALE/users/USERNAME/transcript/ID'
+      )
+    ).toBe(false);
+    expect(
+      isMicrosoftTranscriptLink(
+        'https://learn.microsoft.com/LOCALE/users/USERNAME/transcript/ID/'
+      )
+    ).toBe(false);
+  });
+
+  it.each(['en-us', 'fr-fr', 'lang-country'])(
+    'should accept links with the %s locale',
+    locale => {
+      expect(
+        isMicrosoftTranscriptLink(
+          `https://learn.microsoft.com/${locale}/users/moT01/transcript/any-id`
+        )
+      ).toBe(true);
+    }
+  );
+});
diff --git a/utils/validate.ts b/utils/validate.ts
index 12a1fa76019..ca8034174fe 100644
--- a/utils/validate.ts
+++ b/utils/validate.ts
@@ -36,3 +36,23 @@ export const isValidUsername = (str: string): Validated => {
   if (isHttpStatusCode(str)) return usernameIsHttpStatusCode;
   return validationSuccess;
 };
+
+// link template:
+// https://learn.microsoft.com/LOCALE/users/USERNAME/transcript/ID
+export const isMicrosoftTranscriptLink = (value: string): boolean => {
+  let url;
+  try {
+    url = new URL(value);
+  } catch {
+    return false;
+  }
+
+  const correctDomain = url.hostname === 'learn.microsoft.com';
+  const correctPath = !!url.pathname.match(
+    /^\/[^/]+\/users\/[^/]+\/transcript\/[^/]+$/
+  );
+  const notPlaceholder = !url.pathname.match(
+    '/LOCALE/users/USERNAME/transcript/ID'
+  );
+  return correctDomain && correctPath && notPlaceholder;
+};