Trouble Loggin Into Older Hotmail Account.

Thomas Contois 0 Reputation points
2026-06-14T20:09:14.4433333+00:00

I'm having trouble logging into an old hotmail account I had logged into a game I used to play as a kid.

I can get into the login screen fine and after it'll ask me to type out my secondary email for a temp passkey to be sent to it so I can use it to log into the hotmail account.

I get the email just fine but after entering it I am taken to a page that just says "Something Went Wrong, Please try again".

I do not beleive the account has been deleted since I've logged into at least once a year to do the same nostagla trip with the exact same game.

I'm just wondering if there's something I'm missing or if I just have to give it a day?

Any help you can offer I am thankfull for. I'd really like to get access to this account back.

Outlook | Web | Outlook.com | Email

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  1. Chloe-V 13,800 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2026-06-15T03:51:08.9966667+00:00

    Hi Thomas Contois,

    Welcome to Microsoft Q&A forum. 

    Since you are still reaching the verification step and receiving the temporary passkey, the account appears to still be recognized by the sign-in system. The “Something went wrong, please try again” message may be caused by the current browser/session or verification flow rather than the account being deleted.

    Please try these steps:

    • Open a new InPrivate/Incognito browser window, then go to Outlook.com sign-in and try signing in again.
    • If the same message appears, clear cookies and cached data for Microsoft sign-in pages, then restart the browser and try again.
    • Try a different browser, device, or internet connection. Also temporarily disable VPN/proxy, ad blockers, or browser extensions, as these can sometimes interfere with the verification page.
    • If you know the account address but cannot complete verification, try the recovery/password reset path here: Recover your account. For Outlook.com/Hotmail accounts, Microsoft may ask for details such as contacts or previous email subject lines, so provide as much accurate information as possible.

    Please also note that Microsoft says accounts that have not been signed in to for more than two years may be deleted and cannot be reopened. However, since you are still receiving a passkey, I recommend trying the steps above first before assuming the account is gone.

    If it still does not work after these steps, please contact Microsoft Support through the Outlook.com sign-in support option: Contact us.

    Please note that this is a user-to-user support forum. Moderators, contributors including external Microsoft employees cannot directly intervene in Microsoft product features or access back-end systems. Our role is limited to providing technical guidance on reported issues, requests, or ideas only.

    If the answer is helpful, please click "Accept Answer" and kindly upvote it. If you have extra questions about this answer, please click "Comment".  

    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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  2. AI answer

    2026-06-14T20:09:29.23+00:00

    The “Something went wrong, please try again” page usually indicates a temporary sign‑in or verification issue rather than an immediate deletion of the account.

    Try the following steps in order:

    1. Use the official sign‑in helpers
      • Start from the Outlook.com/Hotmail sign‑in page and sign in with the old address as usual.
      • When it fails at the verification step, use the dedicated tools instead of looping on the same page:
      • These tools will detect common problems and either fix them or tell what to do next.
    2. Verify the account is still active
      • Microsoft may permanently delete accounts that have not been signed into for more than 2 years. In that case, the account cannot be restored.
      • Since this account has been used roughly once a year, it should not be deleted for inactivity, but if any sign‑in tool reports “account doesn’t exist” or similar, follow the guidance under “Steps to recover your Microsoft account” and “My username has stopped working.”
    3. Try a different verification/sign‑in path
      • If the temp passkey flow is failing with “Something went wrong,” try another method if available on the sign‑in page (for example, password instead of passkey, or another security option).
      • If the password is known but “stopped working,” use the recovery flow described in “My username and password have stopped working”: select Recover your account at https://account.live.com/password/reset and follow the steps to reset the password using a code sent to a security contact.
    4. Wait and avoid repeated attempts
      • Multiple failed or repeated verification attempts can temporarily block sign‑in.
      • If the system has just started showing this error, wait at least 24 hours with no further sign‑in attempts, then try again using the Sign‑in Helper or account troubleshooter links above.
    5. If the username is not recognized or recovery keeps failing
      • If you see messages like “We couldn’t find an account with that username,” follow the guidance in I can’t sign in to my Microsoft account under “Steps to recover your Microsoft account,” including using the Sign‑in Helper tool.
      • If the account has actually been deleted (no sign‑in for more than 2 years), it cannot be reopened or restored.
    6. Contact support if tools do not resolve it
      • If the account is still recognized but the verification flow continues to fail with “Something went wrong,” use the Outlook.com support options under Still need help? in the Hotmail/Outlook.com sign‑in article. If sign‑in is not possible, use the “If you can’t sign in, click here” support entry point.

    These are the supported ways to regain access; if the account is active and the security info is valid, working through the sign‑in helper and recovery flows is the path to get back in.

    References:

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

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