Hotmail account locked and 2 factor "not available at this time"

Question

Hi there, my hotmail account ******@hotmail.com has been locked for over a week now.

I have tried to recover and reset my password but require 2 factor authentication.

Email authentication works on my other personal address @flett.com but Mobile phone authentication says "this service is unavailable right now".

When I run through the account recovery process and fill in all the details of people i have emailed etc, it sends me an email saying that this is impossible because I have 2 factor authentication enabled.\

This has been the case for a week. I have tried every day. Please can you help me unlock my account?

Thanks for any assistance.

Ali

Answer 1

Hello, I’m Virginia a fellow Windows user.

Unfortunately we have no access to accounts.

Your only option is to sign in with one of the backup/recovery codes shown during setup.

Have you tried restarting the phone?

Is the code received via email or text? If email then have you checked the account online to see if it’s under the spam folder? Also check that you haven’t added Microsoft to the blocked sender’s list.

If via text then check that Microsoft hasn’t been added to the blocked sender’s list.

Once account can be accessed I’d add a secondary recovery option - perhaps MS Authenticator app.

Answer 2

Hi Alistair Flett,

Thank you for posting to Microsoft Q&A Forum.

To help you get the most relevant guidance on unlocking a Hotmail account with broken 2FA, could you please confirm the following:

1. Are you trying to reach Microsoft Support directly, or looking for alternative recovery methods?
2. Do you still have access to any trusted devices previously used to log in to the Hotmail account?
3. Are you using the Microsoft Authenticator app, SMS verification, or another method for 2FA?
4. Have you already submitted a support request to Microsoft and received a response?

Once I have this info, I can dig into the most current and effective recovery options for your situation.

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