Sending, receiving, and organizing email in Outlook.com
If Outlook.com says the account was blocked for illegal or suspicious use, changing the password alone may not unlock it.
- Try to unblock the Outlook.com account by resetting the password and completing the security verification process.
- If the account is still blocked after that, use the Microsoft account sign-in helper.
- If the sign-in page does not show "Let's prove you're human", the account may be locked due to suspicious activity or a Terms of Use violation. In that case, use the aka.ms/ reinstatement link shown in the sign-in window and submit the reinstatement request.
- After submitting the reinstatement form, do not submit additional requests, because that can slow the review.
- If email is still not working after access is restored, check whether the Outlook.com mailbox or Microsoft cloud storage is full, because a full mailbox or storage can prevent sending or receiving email.
If the account was blocked because of unusual sign-in activity, Outlook.com requires a password reset to unblock it. If the account remains inaccessible, the sign-in helper and the reinstatement process are the supported next steps.