Cannot gain access to my MS account

Question

Good morning.

Before going into detail, the account used to log into here is one I borrowed from a close friend.

OK, I have a major issue, and it has placed me under a great deal of stress. I cannot gain access to my MS account. I have tried everything to recover my account, but to no avail. The system sends a code to my email, but won't send one to my phone number to complete the process.

Everything I have read on MS support pages suggest I cannot be helped because I use two-factor authentication. But here's the thing, if I have two-factor enabled, and the option to recover under circumstances such as this, then what is the problem?

Am I to simply let go and lose years of personal data stored in my OneDrive? Also, there are so many things tied to my Outlook email. My Firefox account with all my passwords, the same goes for Edge. Years of data locked away!! This is hurting me so badly I could cry my eyes out.

Unacceptable from Microsoft.

If someone can help me, I would appreciate this a lot.

Answer 1

Hey there! Nice to meet you!

The error message you mentioned, "The system sends a code to my email, but won't send one to my phone number to complete the process." is an indication that your account is temporarily blocked from resetting your password due to the system detecting unusual activity.

You will need to perform these steps to fix the verification method error:

1. Perform a password reset via Incognito/InPrivate window using different devices and network services.
2. If you still can't receive the verification codes from your recovery phone number, wait exactly 48 hours to perform another password reset.

Important: Please make sure not to attempt to sign in or reset the password within that timeframe (48 hours), as this may reset the lock cooldown.

Thank you for your understanding! Please feel free to let me know if you need anything else.

Best regards,

Darhyl