Going around in circles trying to sign into microsoft

Question

I really need help. I have an account I believe I set up as a small business (or personal? It was a few years ago now) - my login is ******@something.onmicrosoft.com (obviously the "something is my personal info). I had to use a different microsoft account just to sign in to post this.

When I sign in and put the password, it asks for authenticator app code. On my authenticator app, there's nothing there except it shows it as a Microsoft Entra ID. I click the arrow and it says "Ways to Sign in or verify" and it just shows Connected account (but I can't click it or anything). But there's no code.

It says other ways to sign in but it's both things that haven't been done yet (create a passkey or set up 2-step) and I can't do it without signing in, which I can't do because I can't get the code.

The problem is no matter what I do, even though I know the password, I have nothing in the authenticator app. When I tried to do a recovery, it says that email (******@something.onmicrosoft.com) doesn't exist. But that's what I use to sign into onedrive! I can't access my entire library of stuff on onedrive! I'm going absolutely crazy - I tried to do recovery of other email addresses I have, and when I get to actually sign in (and it texts me a 2-factor for those) there's no onedrive. It's other microsoft accounts I may have created at one point.

I'm at my wit's end. It all started because I wanted to sign into one drive without my laptop (on my phone) and I couldn't do it. Now I'm signed out on my laptop and can't get in at all because of this stupid authenticator app. At some point it said check email ******@outlook.com. I never had an outlook email address!!

HELP. I'm in tears trying to get back to my drive. I can't access any of my files.

I can't even figure out who to call. Please give me some guidance on what to do! Thank you so muchl

Answer 1

Dear @Mary Beth Perini

Thank you for posting your question in the Microsoft Q&A forum.  

The core of the problem is the type of account you have. An email address ending in @something.onmicrosoft.com is a Microsoft 365 Business or Work/School account, not a personal Microsoft account (like @outlook.com or @hotmail.com). 

This is a critical distinction for two reasons: 

1. The standard personal account recovery form will not work, which is why it told you the account "doesn't exist." 
2. The recovery process is handled by a specific support team and requires an administrator to reset the sign-in verification methods. 

Since this was a small business account you set up, you are likely the only administrator. Because you are locked out, you cannot reset your own Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) settings. 

That said, here are a few recommended steps you can take to get direct help from Microsoft: 

Option 1: Contact Microsoft Support by Phone 

If you are unable to access the Microsoft 365 admin center, you can contact Microsoft Support directly. 

Find the appropriate phone number for your region here: Customer service phone numbers - Microsoft Support 

To help you navigate the automated phone system (IVR), here’s an example of how the conversation might go: 

• IVR: What kind of problem are you concerned about? 
  You: MFA (Multi-Factor Authentication)
• IVR: What kind of product do you use? 
  You: Office 365 for business 
• IVR: Education or business account? 
  You: For business 
• IVR: Are you an administrator? 
  You: Yes 
• IVR: Do you have another administrator in your organization? 
  You: No 
• IVR: Do you need a service request? 
  You: Yes 

This should help you get connected to a live support agent who can assist you directly. 

 

Option 2: Create a Temporary Tenant to Submit a Support Ticket 

• Visit Microsoft 365 Business Plans and Pricing | Microsoft 365 
• Select any plan and click Try for free. 
• Complete the setup to create a new tenant. 
• Ticket support: In the Microsoft 365 admin center>support>help & support. You can create a support ticket: https://admin.microsoft.com/#/support/requests  

Important: Please remember to cancel the trial subscription once your issue is resolved to avoid any charges. 

 
If the information above is helpful, kindly mark it as an answer. This will also assist others in the community who may have similar questions about Outlook file complexity. 

Please let me know how it goes after trying the steps above. I’m here to help further if needed. 

Once they have reset your sign-in verification methods, you will be able to sign in with just your password. From there, you can immediately set up your Microsoft Authenticator app again from scratch to ensure your account remains secure. 

Please rest assured, there is a path forward. While you cannot solve this through online forms, a direct phone call to the correct support team is the definitive solution for this specific type of account lockout. 

We hope you regain access to your files soon. 

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