How to create a new Global Administrator Account when NONE currently exists

Question

How to create a new Global Administrator Account when NONE currently exists

Peter Ferraro 0

I have already gone through Copilot to see if there is some way to fix this, their final recommendation is to contact someone at Microsoft, which, it seems, cannot be done.

We have two (2) existing accounts defined within our domain (CPGAero.com). They were created over a decade ago before the current way MS handles users. The "administrator" account was first created in order to sign into the Microsoft Volume Licence Service Portal for our server operating system licences - this was in 2013 I believe. That account would have been set up as an Administrator on that portal. I am now trying to use that same account as the Administrator account for our Tenet in order to set up new users to receive SharePoint files from our customers. I cannot reset the password for that account because it has not been set up to allow the account to update its own password, need to get that defined by the Global Admin, but I cannot set up the Global Admin. It's just a big circle.

I have included a PDF document that includes the interaction I had with CoPilot to see if there is some way to do this. When I try to phone MS Support, I get an automated answer that eventually leads me to a website and then hangs up. No help there either.

We cannot "promote" the existing account that is working to a Global Admin Account because they are just a user, and the user cannot self-promote.

We have a work-around for now, but this is just going to become a bigger problem going forward. We can have our customers send their SharePoint files to our other account that is working, but that doesn't look very professional.

Any help would be very much appreciated.

Abhinav Shukla 80 Reputation points

2026-10-16T00:32:11.88+00:00

Hi Peter,

I understand your frustration. Based on your description, the main issue is that you have an existing Microsoft 365 tenant but no accessible Global Administrator account to manage user permissions and recover administrative access.

An account that was previously an administrator in the Volume Licensing Service Center (VLSC) does not automatically have the Global Administrator role in Microsoft Entra ID. These are separate permission systems.

I recommend the following steps:

1. Verify your tenant and administrator accounts

Sign in to the Microsoft 365 admin center or the Microsoft Entra admin center using your existing accounts. Check whether either account can access the tenant's administrative settings.

2. Contact Microsoft business support

If neither account has the necessary administrative permissions, contact Microsoft Support and explain that your organization has lost access to all Global Administrator accounts. Ask for assistance with Microsoft Entra tenant administrative access recovery.

If you cannot open a support request because you lack administrator permissions, explain this limitation and ask about the tenant recovery process for organizations without an accessible administrator.

3. If your tenant uses a custom domain, verify domain ownership

If you can prove ownership of CPGAero.com, provide that information when working with Microsoft Support. Domain ownership verification may help establish your organization's relationship with the tenant, but it does not automatically grant Global Administrator permissions.

4. Avoid creating a new tenant as a workaround

Creating another Microsoft 365 tenant will not restore administrative access to your existing tenant or automatically transfer its SharePoint resources, users, and permissions.

Important: A standard user cannot promote themselves to Global Administrator. An existing privileged administrator or Microsoft's authorized recovery process is required.

I hope this helps you identify the correct recovery path. The key is to recover administrative access to your existing tenant rather than attempting to work around its permission structure.

Best regards!

Answer accepted by question author

Dora-T 1,385 Independent Advisor

Hi @Peter Ferraro

I understand how frustrating this situation can be, especially when there is currently no Global Administrator account available to manage the tenant.

Please note that this is a user-to-user forum, and I do not have access to Microsoft’s internal systems or the ability to make changes to your tenant. I can only provide information and troubleshooting guidance based on publicly available resources.

In this situation, you will need to contact Microsoft Support for further assistance, as they can review your situation and advise on the available options.

If you are unable to reach the appropriate support team by phone, you can consider directly submitting a support request as a helpful workaround:

-Create a temporary Microsoft 365 tenant using a trial license: Go to Microsoft 365 Business Plans and Pricing and click Try for free to set up a temporary Microsoft 365 tenant with a trial license.

-Use this new account to sign in to the Microsoft 365 Admin Center and submit a support request on behalf of the affected tenant.

-Select the Help & support (headset) icon >If Support Assistant is enabled, turn it off >Type contact support in the search box >Select Contact support, then choose Phone or Email to submit your request.

Note: This method doesn't require you to use your new account for your business. Instead, it allows you to create a temporary Global Administrator account in a separate Microsoft 365 tenant so you can submit a support request regarding your original tenant, where no Global Administrator account is currently available. The trial account is free for one month. Be sure to delete it after submitting your support request to avoid any automatic renewals or charges from Microsoft.

For further instructions, you can refer to the following Microsoft guides:

Get support - Microsoft 365 admin | Microsoft Learn.

Cancel your Microsoft business subscription in the Microsoft 365 admin center | Microsoft Learn

I hope this gives you another way to reach the appropriate support team.

Peter Ferraro 0 Reputation points

2026-10-15T18:54:29.3266667+00:00

Thank you, I will try this. I have seen this as a solution to someone else's question.
Dora-T 1,385 Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-10-16T00:13:53.7133333+00:00

Hi @Peter Ferraro

I hope everything goes well with the next steps.

Have a nice day!

1 additional answer

Your answer

Peter Ferraro 0 Reputation points

2026-10-15T18:54:29.3266667+00:00

Thank you, I will try this. I have seen this as a solution to someone else's question.
Dora-T 1,385 Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-10-16T00:13:53.7133333+00:00

Hi @Peter Ferraro

I hope everything goes well with the next steps.

Have a nice day!

Answer 1

Peter Ferraro 0

Thank you, I will try this. I have seen this as a solution to someone else's question.

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