Locked out of account, Phone number not in use

Question

Locked out of account, Phone number not in use

Kevin Hovan 0

My son is locked out of his Microsoft account and cannot use his Windows 11 computer. I retired from the U.S. Army a few months ago, and our phone numbers have all changed. The only options he has to get into his account is by using his password, which he forgot, and the code texted to a number we no longer use or have access to.

How can we restore access in a situation such as this?

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2 answers

Your answer

Answer 1

Hi,

If your son forgot his password and no longer has access to the phone number or any other verification method, his only option to recover the account is to use the account recovery form:

https://account.live.com/acsr

Microsoft takes account security seriously, so the recovery process is fully automated to prevent unauthorized access. Complete the form using a device and location he used before, and make sure to provide an accessible email address.

Microsoft typically reviews recovery requests within 24 hours. If his request is successful, they’ll send instructions to help him recover the account.

Help with the Microsoft account recovery form: https://support.microsoft.com/account-billing/help-with-the-microsoft-account-recovery-form-b19c02d1-a782-dee6-93c3-dc8113b20c42

He can submit the form up to twice within a 24-hour period, so feel free to include any new details he remember each time until he recover his account.

Answer 2

For a personal Microsoft account, the supported recovery path depends on whether the password is known and whether any current security method is still available.

If the password is known but the old phone number is no longer accessible:
- Start sign-in to the Microsoft account.
- At the Verify your identity prompt, select I don't have any of these.
- Follow the prompts to replace the security info.
- After replacing all security info, there is a 30-day wait before sign-in is allowed.
If the password is forgotten and there is no access to any security info:
- Use the account recovery form: Recover account
- Before submitting it, review the guidance in Help with the Microsoft account recovery form.
If the account is locked:
- Try the Microsoft sign-in helper first: Sign-in Helper
- For locked accounts, Microsoft also states that a security code can be requested during sign-in, and the phone number used to receive that code does not need to be associated with the account.
If the account remains inaccessible after recovery attempts:
- Use Contact Microsoft Support and choose the sign-in help path.
- Support agents cannot change account details directly or send password reset links, but this is the official escalation route when self-service recovery does not work.

If the old phone number was recently added to another Microsoft account, that number cannot be reused on this account. In that case, a different mobile number must be used.

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