Help: I lost my old account

Question

Help: I lost my old account

Đoàn Viết Khôi Nguyên 60

Dear Microsoft Support,

My name is Nguyen, and I am currently using a new Microsoft account.

I am writing to ask for help regarding my old Microsoft account, which I lost access to several years ago. The account was very important to me because it contained personal files, school presentations, documents, and over 30,000 Microsoft Rewards points that I had spent a long time earning.

I lost access after resetting my Samsung Galaxy Tab A7 Lite so that my younger brother could use it for learning. At the time, I completely forgot that the tablet was being used as my account verification device. Whenever Microsoft needed to verify a sign-in, the approval request would be sent to the Outlook application on that tablet. After the device was reset, I could no longer receive or approve those verification requests.

One of the most frustrating parts of this situation is that I still remember the account password. However, because I no longer have access to the verification method, I have been unable to sign in. I have submitted account recovery forms in the past, but my requests were unsuccessful because I could not provide enough information to prove ownership.

Unfortunately, the account was not used heavily for sending emails. Most of the emails I received were Microsoft verification messages, account-related notifications, and promotional emails. Because of that, I have very little information about contacts, sent messages, or email subjects that could help me complete the recovery process. I believe this is one of the reasons why my previous recovery attempts were unsuccessful.

I can still provide details about how I used the account, the devices associated with it, and the circumstances surrounding the loss of access. I am willing to provide any information that may help verify that I am the rightful owner.

Losing the Microsoft Rewards points was disappointing, especially because I was close to redeeming my first free Jollibee meal. However, what truly matters to me are the presentations, documents, and personal work stored in the account. I would be extremely grateful for any advice, guidance, or additional recovery options that may still be available.

Thank you for taking the time to read my message and for any assistance you can provide.

Sincerely, Nguyen

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Answer 1

Hi, Đoàn Viết Khôi Nguyên

I’m sorry you are dealing with this. Knowing the password is not enough when Microsoft requires verification, and support agents cannot manually bypass the account’s security settings or restore access.

Here are some suggestions you can try:

Use the Microsoft Sign-in Helper first and enter the old account address. This can identify whether the account still exists and which recovery path applies.

If directed to it, submit the account recovery form from a device and location previously used with the account. Include the current password, older passwords, approximate account creation date, device details, Microsoft services used, folder names, purchases, and any exact email subjects you remember. You may retry up to twice per day, and the result is usually sent within 24 hours.

Check old phones, computers, browsers, and password managers in case the account is still signed in somewhere. If two-step verification was enabled and no verification method or recovery code remains available, the recovery form and support cannot override it.

Also, personal accounts inactive for more than two years may have been deleted, in which case the OneDrive files cannot be recovered.