Microsoft 365 Developer Account Restricted to Read-Only – Request to Lift Violation Before April 14, 2026

Fire Gaming 25 Reputation points
2026-04-09T22:26:37.51+00:00

Hello,

I would like to ask for assistance regarding my Microsoft 365 Developer account.

Currently, my account appears to be restricted and set to read-only due to a policy violation. Although the subscription is still active, I am unable to upload files, create folders, or edit any documents within my tenant.

Because of this limitation, I am unable to perform any valid development activities.

I sincerely apologize for any unintentional misuse and I am fully committed to complying with Microsoft policies moving forward.

I kindly request a review of my account and would greatly appreciate it if the violation could be lifted so I can regain full access and continue using the account properly.

Thank you for your time and support.IMG_9446

Microsoft 365 and Office | Development | Microsoft 365 Developer Program
Answer accepted by question author
Hin-V 16,830 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
2026-04-09T22:58:38.4866667+00:00

Hi @Fire Gaming

Good day, and thank you for sharing your concerns. 

First, I’d like to clarify that this is a user-to-user support forum. The moderators participating here do not have access to Microsoft’s backend systems, nor are we able to directly intervene in product behavior or account-level actions. Our role is limited to providing technical guidance and sharing best‑practice recommendations based on reported issues and similar scenarios. 

As far as I know, this type of restriction can usually only be resolved by working directly with a human Microsoft support agent. As a precaution, you could consider to back up any important data to a new tenant while access is still available in read‑only mode. In parallel, it may also be helpful to review the Microsoft Acceptable Use Policy here: https://www.microsoft.com/en-US/microsoft-365/legal/docid12 to double-check whether any activity might have unintentionally violated one of the terms. If you do identify anything that could be a concern, removing or stopping that activity may help when Microsoft reviews the case.

Also, based on the notification you shared, the block appears to apply specifically to SharePoint and OneDrive, not the entire tenant. Because of that, it’s possible that the status shown in the Microsoft 365 Developer Program dashboard does not fully reflect the service-level restriction currently in place.

You may want to recheck the guidance in this article: Error "This page has been blocked as it violates the Acceptable Use Policy", you could select Contact support on the SharePoint Acceptable Use Policy page.

Additionally, there is one possible way you could try to reach the Microsoft Developer Program support team, which is through the “Report errors” option located at the bottom of the Developer Program dashboard. Using this option allows you to send a message directly to the Microsoft Developer Program support team for further review.  

 Report errors

Hope this information is helpful, and please feel free to share any updates from Microsoft Support. 

Note: Please follow the steps in [our documentation] to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread.

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  1. AI answer

    2026-04-09T22:48:52.11+00:00

    The banner and read-only behavior indicate that the tenant has been flagged for an Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) violation at the service level. When this occurs, SharePoint and OneDrive are locked by Microsoft and can’t be unlocked through any local admin, library, or quota settings.

    To request that the restriction be reviewed and removed, the required path is to work with Microsoft support as the tenant admin:

    1. Sign in to the Microsoft 365 admin center using the admin account for the affected Microsoft 365 Developer tenant.
    2. Open the SharePoint Acceptable Use Policy page in the admin center and choose Contact support.
    3. Create a support request stating that:
      • This is a Microsoft 365 Developer Program sandbox.
      • SharePoint and OneDrive are in read-only mode and a banner reports an AUP violation and future deactivation date.
      • You are requesting a review and removal of the restriction so the tenant can be used for compliant development and testing.
    4. When a support engineer is assigned, provide screenshots of the banner, details of how the tenant is used, and any requested logs. If the front-line engineer cannot see the cause, the case can be escalated to a backend team for deeper investigation and a decision on lifting the block.

    If Microsoft determines that the tenant’s activity complies with the Acceptable Use Policy for Microsoft Online Services, access can be restored and the deactivation may be reversed. If the violation is confirmed, the deactivation date shown in the banner will remain and the subscription will be blocked on that date.

    For Microsoft 365 Developer Program subscriptions, remember that the environment is provided only for development and testing and does not support production workloads or commercial use.

    References:

    AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

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