Unscrewed the light cover beneath the microwave with a phillips head screwdriver. The bulb is very tiny and has 2 straight parallel prongs that slide into 2 small holes. Grab bulb from both sides with each hand firmly and slide STRAIGHT out (no twisting or pushing). Don't worry about breaking even though it may take a fair amount of pressure to pull out. New bulb arrived within a couple of days. Due to high shipping cost, suggest buying 2 or more bulbs at once. Bulb is often used as a kitchen night light so that is probably why I only got 9 months out of it.
the main issue I had is the appliance manual stating that the bulb should be "unscrewed". when I first read the manual, before I received the bulb on delivery, I tried "unscrewing" the bulb, which actually is a PLUG IN bulb. small wonder that it didn't come out! luckily I didn't break the connections off in the socket!