Lost access to my E-Mail Account.

Question

Lost access to my E-Mail Account.

Edina Ziberi 20

So I have had my outlook E-Mail logged-in, in my Phone for the last 20 years.

The way I've switched my account over to new Phones is by not entering any Passwords and only transferring all my Data over to my new Phone.
Recently my Phone asked me to re-enter my Password, for that account on my Phone, but I have long forgotten what that password was. So the next thing I tried was of course the two-factor authentication which was connected to my ex-husbands old E-mail account which I have no access to. So im stuck.
I can't contact my Ex-husband in any way and I really can't remember the Password. I've also tried to call support to get access to my old emails again but the only option they gave me was answering a security question which only my Ex-husband knows the answer to.

Is there ANY other way I could maybe gain access to my emails again?

I'd appreciate all the help I can get!

0 comments

Answer accepted by question author

Darhyl Amizola 50,155 Independent Advisor

Hey there! Nice to meet you!

Since you have two-factor authentication (2FA) enabled, do you have the 25-character recovery codes for the 2FA?

Important: If you have an active 2FA, the account recovery webform (ACSR) will inform you that your recovery request will be ignored.

If yes, please go to account.microsoft.com > Forgot Password > click "I don't have any of these" on both verification methods > click "Yes" on the 25 recovery code (if you have one) > from here, you will be asked to wait 30 days in order to update your security info and recover your account.

During this time, you will not be able to sign in to sites or services with your account.

However, if you do not have access to all of your verification methods and the 25-recovery codes from your 2FA, I'm afraid it is no longer possible to recover/verify the account.

Thank you for your understanding.

Best regards,

Darhyl

0 comments

1 additional answer

Your answer

Answer 1

There is no supported way to bypass the existing password and two-factor authentication if the recovery methods (such as the linked email account and security questions) are no longer accessible.

For Microsoft personal accounts like Outlook.com/Hotmail, recovery is only possible through the official self-service tools and forms:

Use the Sign-in Helper tool
- Go to the Sign-in Helper and follow the prompts to diagnose sign-in issues and see what recovery options are still available for the account.
- The tool checks the email address or phone number and guides through the next steps if a problem is detected.
Try standard recovery options
- If the password is forgotten, use the Reset your password flow described in the “I can’t sign in to my Microsoft account” guidance.
- If the username or email is forgotten, use the Look up your Microsoft account process to identify the correct account.
If verification options are not usable
- If none of the verification email/phone options are accessible and two-step verification is not turned on, the guidance is to use the Sign-in Helper tool.
- If two-step verification is turned on and none of the alternate verification methods (like the linked email, phone, or authenticator) can be accessed, support agents are not allowed to override or reset these protections. In that case, the account cannot be recovered.
Account recovery form
- If prompted, the Microsoft account recovery form can be used to prove ownership by providing detailed information about the account (past passwords, contacts, email subjects, etc.).
- However, if two-step verification is enabled and none of the second-factor methods are available, the recovery form cannot bypass two-step verification.

If all recovery methods (password, linked email, phone, security questions, and any second-factor methods) are permanently unavailable, the account and its contents cannot be restored under Microsoft’s documented policies.

References: