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All global admins are locked out due to passkey requirement

Richard Wilson 0 Reputation points
2026-02-11T13:33:15.94+00:00

None of our global admins are able to login to our tenant. Each login prompts the user to set up a passkey, but this always fails (many different devices/people attempted). I know the policy that is causing this (it was a recommendation) but no one can login to remove it as they don't have access. The issue is the policy "Phishing-resistant multifactor authentication for admins" that I can find on https://entra.microsoft.com/#view/Microsoft_AAD_ConditionalAccess/ConditionalAccessBlade/~/Policies/menuId//fromNav/Identity?Microsoft_AAD_IAM_legacyAADRedirect=true but only read only with a secondary non global admin account. We cannot perform any admin tasks on the tenant. None of the admins can login to the admin area to submit a ticket. All support is now online and phone support hangs up on me before I can talk to a human and tells me to login and submit a ticket. I have submitted a ticket from my regular account that has minimal access to the Admin Centre but I haven't been contacted in a week, possibly because the account I submitted this from is not a global admin. I don't know what to do at this point, any help on how to get the support I need would be very much appreciated. Thanks!


Moved from: Microsoft 365 and Office | Other

Microsoft 365 and Office | Subscription, account, billing | For business | Other
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  1. Richard Wilson 0 Reputation points
    2026-02-12T14:33:27.62+00:00

    Great, thanks. I have started and someone is regularly sending communications. If this gets resolved I will come and mark the answer accordingly! Many thanks.


  2. Phoebe-N 10,650 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2026-02-11T14:03:34.8966667+00:00

    Hello @Richard Wilson

    Welcome to the Microsoft Q&A Community! 

    I completely understand how stressful and discouraging this situation can be, especially when you're unable to reach the support team you need, and access issues are blocking your next steps. You're doing all the right things, and I’m here to support you through every option available. 

    To help move this forward, the most effective path is still to contact our Data Protection Team, as they’re the only group who can assist when global admin access is lost. Please find the appropriate contact information here and try calling 2-3 times during work week: Customer service phone numbers - Microsoft Support 

    A quick tip to help you reach a real person faster: Depending on your region, you may hear an automated introduction for about 30 seconds, such as “you can visit the link…”. Please ignore this introduction and wait until the options appear. 

    • Press 1 for business email user 
    • Press 1 again for technical help 

    This will route you to an agent who can open a Data Protection case on your behalf. 

    Once connected, kindly explain that: Your Global Admins are completely locked out. You need Data Protection / Account Recovery assistance to verify ownership and restore access   

    If you cannot successfully speak to a support representative, please consider creating a new tenant by signing up for a trial Microsoft 365 subscription via this link Compare All Microsoft 365 Plans | Microsoft.  User's image

    Once the new tenant is set up, use its admin console to submit a support ticket requesting assistance for your original tenant. Remember to cancel the trial subscription after the issue is resolved to avoid charges. 

    Thank you very much for your valuable time and your cooperation. Let me know how it goes on your end or if you need further assistance.  


    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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