How to get access to an account when the recovery codes go to a deceased person?

Question

How to get access to an account when the recovery codes go to a deceased person?

Yolanda A 0

Hello,

Microsoft prompted my 88-year-old aunt to reset her computer login PIN due to a security settings change. The issue is that her recently deceased son is the backup recovery email and cell phone for her account. We have no way to access those recovery methods, as his email is full and the phone is off. My aunt does not recall her Microsoft password, which the computer is asking her to provide. We cannot use the old PIN to log in. The system is asking for her Microsoft password or the codes sent to her son's email or cell phone. I have filled out a form for her to prove it is her account and have not received anything from Microsoft in over 3 days. She needs to pay bills online, access her email, and use her Facebook account, which is a lifeline for her. We are unable to factory reset her computer as it will wipe out the cookies that have saved other passwords she may not remember or have written down. I have not been able to locate a human being at Microsoft to help. We can provide the death certificate if necessary. I just need to get her back into her account. Any guidance would be appreciated. Thanks!

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Answer 1

Lester Bernard Reyes 86,190 Independent Advisor

Hi, I'm Bernard. I'm happy to help!

I understand your concern, and there's no need to worry. I'm here to assist you. The next-of-kin process may vary by country. Kindly follow the instructions and steps provided in the link below to access the account, as you also need to submit supporting documents:

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/accounts-billing/manage/accessing-outlook-com-onedrive-and-other-microsoft-services-when-someone-has-died

Yolanda A 0 Reputation points

2026-10-11T19:31:58.8366667+00:00

Thank you. I have been on that page before and it addresses the issue of how to get into a deceased person's account. That is not totally my issue. It's a living person's account but the recovery codes go to the deceased person's phone and email. I am not seeing what to do in that case.

Answer 2

Hi, thanks for the information. In this case, you need to recover the account first, then change the recovery form and email for the account once you have recovered it. Kindly follow the steps below:

Method 1. Recover a Microsoft account by resetting the password:

Go to this link: https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=2273955 and follow the prompts to reset the password.

For reference: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/account-billing/reset-a-forgotten-microsoft-account-password-eff4f067-5042-c1a3-fe72-b04d60556c37

Method 2. If you cannot reset the password or are unable to verify the account, I recommend submitting a recovery form:

https://account.live.com/acsr

Please complete the form and expect a reply within a couple of days.