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My account suddenly "doesn't exist anymore"

Anonymous
2025-06-26T10:32:21+00:00

I’ve had a Microsoft account for years that’s connected to both my Minecraft account (after the Mojang migration) and my main Windows PC account. Suddenly, when I try to sign in, I’m getting a message saying the account “doesn’t exist.”

I’ve tried the account recovery process, but it keeps telling me the email isn’t associated with any Microsoft account. That makes no sense, because I’ve used this same login for years without any issues.

I still have the email and password I used for my Minecraft account before it was migrated, and I’m 100% sure it’s the right one. Now I’ve lost access to all my Minecraft data and my PC user account, which has tons of important files I can’t reach anymore.

This is extremely frustrating and confusing. Has anyone dealt with something similar or knows what I can do? I just want to get my account back and recover my data.

Any help would be appreciated!

Windows for home | Windows 11 | Recovery and backup

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  1. Virginia M 40,995 Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2025-06-26T20:06:25+00:00

    Also ensure you’re signing in on the personal account page & not the work/education page.
    Some suggestions here:
    https://windowsreport.com/fix-user-id-does-not-...

    Note: This is a non-Microsoft website. The page appears to be providing accurate, safe information. Watch out for ads on the site that may advertise products frequently classified as a PUP (Potentially Unwanted Products).
    Please do not download any repair tool which may be offered by this site other than the ones I mention/recommend.
    Thoroughly research any product which is mentioned here before you decide to download and install it.

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  2. Virginia M 40,995 Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2025-06-26T19:58:44+00:00

    Signing in via an email app or game might not be enough, usually it requires signing in online via the Microsoft website.
    If you did sign in regularly via the Microsoft website then then migration may have affected your account.
    Did the migration ask you to connect to a Hotmail or Outlook (Microsoft account) email?
    Have you ever signed into your Microsoft account with another email address?

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  3. Anonymous
    2025-06-26T19:07:55+00:00

    Hi Virginia, thanks for your reply.

    When I try filling out the recovery forms, it still tells me that the account doesn't exist. I've definitely been logging in regularly—both on my PC and to play Minecraft—so I don’t think it was deleted due to inactivity.

    I’m starting to wonder if the issue has something to do with the fact that my Microsoft account was linked to a Gmail address. I don’t completely remember the details, but I think I originally created the account during the Minecraft migration and used my @gmail.com address for the Microsoft login. It worked for years without any issues, which makes this all even more confusing.

    I’d really appreciate any further help or advice. I just want to recover access to my account and files.

    Thanks again,
    Alice

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  4. Virginia M 40,995 Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2025-06-26T11:08:47+00:00

    Hello, I’m Virginia, a fellow user like yourself.

    Sorry to hear you’re experiencing problems.

    When was the last time you signed into the account online? If more than 1-2 years then it may have been closed due to inactivity - you should’ve received an email about it though.

    If you have signed in regularly online then the account may have been hacked & the email changed to that of the hacker.

    As we don’t have access to account details I would recommend following the instructions here:

    https://support.microsoft.com/account-billing/y...

    If none of the above work then you’ll require the account recovery form:

    https://account.live.com/acsr

    Please note if you have 2/multi factor authentication active on your account then you cannot use the form to recover the account.

    If you’re successful in changing the details then you may find that the account is limited for 30 days, this is a security feature & cannot be circumvented.

    If you’re no longer able to sign into the PC due to the account not existing then you can remove the drive, place it in a caddy & connect it to another PC to access personal files in order to save them, or you can use third party disk imaging software to create an image backup. The software can be installed on another PC, then create their boot media & use this to boot the problem PC & create the image.

    I would recommend Macrium Reflect free:

    Direct download link:

    https://updates.macrium.com/reflect/v8/ReflectD...

    Or download here:

    https://www.majorgeeks.com/files/details/macriu...

    Note: This is a non-Microsoft website. The page appears to be providing accurate, safe information. Watch out for ads on the site that may advertise products frequently classified as a PUP (Potentially Unwanted Products).

    Please do not download any repair tool which may be offered by this site other than the ones I mention/recommend.

    Thoroughly research any product which is mentioned here before you decide to download and install it.

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