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reset administrator

Melissa Overson 0 Reputation points
2026-01-28T16:49:43.7433333+00:00

Our IT company used to be the administrator on our Microsoft 365 account and no longer is our company. We need to reset the administrator on our Microsoft 365 account. Please help.

Microsoft 365 and Office | Subscription, account, billing | For business | Other
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  1. Lia V 6,630 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2026-01-28T18:09:39.61+00:00

    Hi @Melissa Overson,

    Thank you for posting your question in the Microsoft Q&A forum, and I’m sorry to hear about the difficulties you are experiencing with accessing your Microsoft 365 administrator account.

    After reviewing your situation, I would like to outline the possible ways administrator control for your Microsoft 365 tenant can be reassigned, following the two scenarios below.

     

    Scenario 1: The former IT company still holds the Global Administrator role

    In some cases, an external IT provider may remain listed as a Global Administrator if they originally created or managed the tenant. If that is still true in your environment, the existing Global Admin would need to sign in and assign a Global Administrator role to someone in your organization so that you can take over management.

    Additionally, if your organization was previously managed by a Microsoft partner, and the partner still has Delegated Admin Permissions (DAP) or Granular Delegated Admin Permissions (GDAP), they may also be able to assign a Global Administrator role to a user in your organization.

    For reference: Assign admin roles in the Microsoft 365 admin center - Microsoft 365 admin | Microsoft Learn.

    Scenario 2: No one can access the existing Global Administrator account

    In the case where neither your organization nor the previous IT company can access the current Global Administrator account, or the tenant is not managed by any partner, then you will need to contact Microsoft Support so they can engage the Data Protection Team to help restore access. To contact Microsoft Support, you can try the options below:

    1/ Contact Microsoft Support via phone (Please proceed with the second option if contacting phone support is not applicable to your situation)

    You can try reaching out to the Global Customer Service phone to raise a request for resetting your authentication method here: Customer service phone numbers - Microsoft Support. During the call, request to speak to an agent, and share with them every detail related to your query and also mention that you lost access to the admin account. This should allow you to contact the appropriate team so you can solve this incident as soon as possible.

    You’ll need to verify your ownership of the Microsoft 365 tenant with Microsoft’s Data Protection Team. This verification process typically requires providing the following documentation:

    • Proof of domain ownership, such as access to manage DNS records
    • Billing or subscription information, including payment methods or account history
    • The Tenant ID of the affected Microsoft 365 organization
    • Official business registration documents
    • Documentation confirming you are an authorized signatory for the business

    Please note that forum moderators do not have access to user account settings and cannot assist with logging in, resetting passwords, or changing access rights. While we do not have access to internal systems or administrative tools required to resolve account-specific or backend-related issues, we’ll continue doing our best to support you within the scope of our responsibilities.

    2/ Create a new tenant to submit a support ticket (Alternative Method)

    If you cannot reach a live agent, there is still a workaround, you might consider registering for a new tenant by signing up for a trial subscription via this link Microsoft 365 Business Plans and Pricing | Microsoft 365 (please select "Try for free" under a business subscription).

    Once set up, you can access the admin console of the new tenant and submit a support ticket requesting to speak with the Data Protection team on behalf of your previous tenant. 

    To create a support ticket: In the Microsoft 365 admin center > Help & Support.

    User's image

    In your ticket description, you'll need to clearly explain that you're trying to regain access to the previous Microsoft 365 tenant and need help from the Data Protection team. Here's a message you can use or adapt:

    "Hello, I’m currently unable to access my previous Microsoft 365 tenant because the person who previously held the Global Administrator role is no longer with our company.

    I created this new tenant solely to request assistance. I kindly ask to be connected with the Data Protection team so that my identity and authorization can be verified, and to help me regain access to the original tenant.

    This issue is urgent, as I rely on Microsoft 365 for my work and have been unable to operate for several days. I’m fully available to provide any documentation or verification needed to support the recovery process, including:

    • Proof of domain ownership
    • Billing or subscription information
    • Tenant ID
    • Official business registration documents
    • Documentation confirming authorized signatory for the organization

    Thank you, and I look forward to your guidance on how to proceed."

    It is important to note: Please remember to cancel the trial subscription once your issue is resolved to avoid any unintended charges. You may prefer the following resource for detailed instructions: Cancel your Microsoft business subscription in the Microsoft 365 admin center | Microsoft Learn.

    I hope this helps you regain access to the tenant quickly. I'm glad to assist and truly hope the information provided has been useful. Please feel free to reach out anytime if you need further assistance.

    If you find my post useful, kindly consider upvoting it. Doing so can assist others in the community who may have similar questions in finding solutions more quickly.

    Thank you for your kindness and contributions to the forum.

    If the answer is helpful, please click "Accept Answer". If you have extra questions about this answer, please click "Comment".

    Note: Please follow the steps in our documentation to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread.

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  2. AI answer

    2026-01-28T16:49:50.4466667+00:00

    To reset the administrator on your Microsoft 365 account, you will need to follow Microsoft's identity verification processes to regain administrative control. Here are the steps you can take:

    1. Confirm Account Ownership: Ensure that you are using the correct account to sign in. Go to the admin portal and try signing in with any previously used email account.
    2. Submit a Support Request: If you cannot access the account, you should submit a support request:
      • Go to the Microsoft 365 support page.
      • Select "I can't sign in or access my tenant".
      • You may need to verify your identity and ownership of the organization through official business documentation or domain ownership.
    3. Contact Your IT Partner: If a Microsoft partner created your tenant or manages your tenant, reach out directly to their support team for recovery assistance.

    If you are unable to recover access through these methods, you may need to provide additional documentation to Microsoft support to verify your identity and regain control of the account.

    References:

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

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