I do I repair a hacked email?

Question

On February 2, 2026, my Hotmail account was hacked. I can login okay, but emails are not downloading to my account. The last email seen was on February 2, 2026.

I use iMac.

Answer 1

Hi ,

I'm Dyari. Thanks for reaching out. I will be happy to assist you in this regard.

In addition to the answer given by the Q&A Assist, sign into your account on the web at outlook.live.com > Go to Settings (gear icon) > Mail > Rules > Delete any rule you did not create, especially ones that look like they move messages or forward them. Some hackers create rules that look like a single character or a dot.

Also, go to Settings > Mail > Forwarding > If "Enable forwarding" is turned on, turn it off immediately and check for a random email address in the forwarding box that you do not recognize.

Answer 2

To repair your hacked Hotmail account and address the issue of emails not downloading, you can follow these steps:

1. Check Account Security: Since your account was hacked, ensure that you have changed your password to a strong, unique one. If you haven't already, enable two-factor authentication (2FA) to add an extra layer of security.
2. Review Account Activity: Log into your Hotmail account and check for any unauthorized changes or suspicious activity. Look for any rules that may have been created by the hacker that could affect email delivery.
3. Check Email Rules: Go to your account settings and check for any email rules that might be redirecting or deleting incoming emails. Remove any suspicious rules.
4. Revoke App Permissions: Check the permissions for any apps that have access to your account. Remove any that you do not recognize or that seem suspicious.
5. Use the Recovery Form: If you are still facing issues, consider using the official Microsoft account recovery form to regain full control over your account. Provide as much information as possible to verify your identity.
6. Contact Microsoft Support: If problems persist, reach out to Microsoft Support for assistance. They can help you troubleshoot further and may have additional tools to help recover your account.
7. Monitor for Further Issues: After regaining access, keep an eye on your account for any suspicious activity and inform your contacts about the potential compromise.

By following these steps, you should be able to regain control over your Hotmail account and resolve the issue with emails not downloading.

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References:

• My personal hotmail account hacked by hacker with authentication app enabled. - Microsoft Q&A
• I have seen great advice for deleting the idtienphuoc1 Rule but none for stopping it from re-adding itself - Microsoft Q&A