lost access to email account

Use the Microsoft account sign-in helper first. It is the primary tool for identifying why sign-in is failing and what action is required.

If the account is asking for verification through an old Hotmail address or other outdated security info, the supported paths are:

1. If the password is remembered but the verification options are outdated:
   • Start sign-in to the Microsoft account.
   • At the Verify your identity prompt, select I don't have any of these.
   • Follow the instructions to replace the security info.
   • After replacement, there is a 30-day wait before sign-in is allowed.
   • If the old security info is recovered during that 30 days, it can still be used to sign in, but doing so cancels the update.
2. If the password is not remembered:
   • Use Reset your password first.
   • If that does not work, use the Microsoft account recovery form and provide as much accurate historical information as possible.
   • Recovery results are sent to the working email address entered at the start of the form, usually within 24 hours.
   • If the account cannot be verified, the form can be retried up to two times per day.
3. If the account says it does not exist or the username is not recognized:
   • Check the email domain carefully, such as .com vs .co.uk.
   • Check for spelling differences in the email name.
   • If another alias or phone number was added to the account, try that instead.
   • If the username still is not found, use the support option on the username/password stopped working page.
4. If the account is temporarily blocked because of unusual activity:
   • Reset the password to unblock the Outlook.com account.
   • Avoid excessive or repetitive verification-code requests, because that can temporarily block code delivery.

Important limits:

• If two-step verification was turned on and none of the alternate verification methods are accessible, there is no recovery path through support agents. Support agents are not allowed to send password reset links or change account details in that case.
• Support agents are also not allowed to bypass account ownership checks in the recovery process.

Best next step sequence:

1. Start with the Sign-in Helper tool.
2. If prompted for old security methods that are no longer accessible, choose I don't have any of these.
3. If the password is forgotten, submit the account recovery form.
4. If the account is blocked, reset the password to unblock it.
5. If verification codes are not arriving, stop repeated requests and wait before trying again.

• I can't sign in to my Microsoft account | Microsoft Support
• Help with the Microsoft account recovery form | Microsoft Support
• Unblock my Outlook.com account | Microsoft Support
• My username and password have stopped working | Microsoft Support
• Troubleshoot Microsoft verification code issues | Microsoft Support