My hotmail account locked since 10 years

Nicolas R 0 Reputation points
2026-10-11T11:23:25.4633333+00:00

Hello;

I've trying to recover my old hotmail account for the last 10 years; I did the recovery process; but I can't remember the questions/ names / ages I've put when creating this mailbox when I was 13 (20 years ago) so it always fails; what are the other solutions?

Nicolas

Microsoft 365 and Office | Subscription, account, billing | For home | Windows
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  1. DaveM121 938.5K Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2026-10-11T11:56:49.66+00:00

    Hi Nicolas,

    If you have been unable to access that account for 10 years, sadly there is no hope of recovering that account, the system automatically deletes the account after two years of inactivity and that account is then lost and cannot be recovered.

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  2. AI answer

    2026-10-11T11:23:40.21+00:00

    If the account has been inactive for more than 2 years, it may have been deleted and cannot be recovered. That is the first thing to determine for an account locked for 10 years.

    If the account still exists, the supported options are:

    1. Try the Microsoft account Sign-in Helper first.
    2. If the account is blocked because of unusual sign-in activity, reset the password to unblock it.
    3. If password reset or verification does not work, use the Microsoft account recovery form.
    4. When completing the recovery form, provide a working email address and add as much exact information as possible, especially:
      • old contacts
      • exact email subject lines
      • the correct account domain such as .com or .co.uk
      • older profile details that may match what was entered when the account was created
    5. Microsoft reviews recovery form submissions within 24 hours.
    6. If the request is denied, it can be retried up to two times per day with more accurate details.

    Important limits:

    • If two-step verification was turned on and none of the alternate verification methods are accessible, there is no other recovery path.
    • Microsoft support agents are not allowed to send password reset links or manually change account details for this scenario.
    • If the account has been locked due to suspicious activity or Terms of Use enforcement and the “Let’s prove you’re human” option does not appear, the only supported path is to use the reinstatement link shown in the sign-in window.

    So, the only supported “other solutions” are:

    • Sign-in Helper
    • password reset / unblock flow
    • account recovery form
    • account reinstatement form if the lock is a policy/suspicious-activity lock

    There is no manual recovery option through support for an old free Hotmail/Outlook.com account.

    References:

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

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