how to recover access to an account while no longer having the phone number

Saad Ghali 5 Reputation points
2026-10-18T12:55:46.3533333+00:00

hello a friend of mine lost access to his microsoft account & the only way he could verify his ownership is through an old phone number he no longer has, he filled out some forum he got asking his what his old passwords payment methods address & so on but never got a response back, my guess is that it was reviewed by AI it didnt find enough matching information so they just cancelled

Outlook | Web | Outlook.com | Account management, security, and privacy

1 answer

Sort by: Newest
Most helpful Newest Oldest

  1. AI answer

    2026-10-18T12:56:02.3333333+00:00

    If access to the old phone number is gone, the supported recovery paths are:

    1. Try the Sign-in Helper first. It can identify common sign-in problems and guide the next steps.
    2. At sign-in, if the verification options are no longer available, select I don't have any of these and follow the prompts to replace the security info.
    3. If the password is also unknown and none of the security methods are accessible, use the Microsoft account recovery form.
    4. When completing the recovery form, use a working email address that can receive updates about the request.
    5. Provide as much account history as possible. For Outlook.com or Hotmail.com accounts, exact email subject lines and contact details can help. If the account was used with Skype or Xbox, related details may also be requested.
    6. Microsoft reviews recovery form answers and responds within 24 hours.

    Important limits:

    • If two-step verification was turned on and none of the alternate verification methods are accessible, support agents cannot send password reset links or change account details.
    • If the password is known but all security info is lost, replacing security info starts a 30-day wait before sign-in is allowed.
    • Do not change all security info at the same time unless necessary, because the account may be restricted for 30 days.
    • Support agents cannot send verification codes or manually restore account access.

    If no response was received after submitting the recovery form, the documented path is still to use the recovery process again and improve the information provided.

    References:

    AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

    Was this answer helpful?

Your answer

Answers can be marked as 'Accepted' by the question author and 'Recommended' by moderators, which helps users know the answer solved the author's problem.