Cannot access admin control due to former contractor refusing to give it back.

Question

Our organization owns the domain and DNS through GoDaddy. A former contractor created and controls our Microsoft 365 tenant and is the only Global Admin. He is no longer employed and will not transfer access. Our license has expired and we cannot access admin controls. We need Microsoft to restore Global Admin access to our organization through domain ownership verification.

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Moved from Microsoft 365 and Office | Other

Answer 1

Dear @Erica Serrao,

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

Based on your description, your organization owns the domain and DNS, but the Microsoft 365 tenant is controlled by a former contractor who is the only Global Administrator and is no longer employed. you wonder how Global Administrator access can be restored through Microsoft.

In this situation, since the only Global Administrator is a former contractor and no longer available, access cannot be transferred internally. The correct next step is to contact Microsoft Support and request tenant recovery through the Microsoft Data Protection Team.

There are some solutions that you can contact Microsoft Support as:    

Use this link to find the appropriate contact number: Global 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: Administrator account locked  

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. 

In case you cannot create support ticket during the call, I strongly recommend you Create a Temporary Tenant to Submit a Support Ticket    

1. Visit Office 365 E3 - Enterprise Collaboration and Productivity | Microsoft    
2. Select any plan and click Try for free.    
3. Complete the setup to create a new tenant.    
4. 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.    

Note: Please understand that as forum moderator, my primary goal is to provide helpful guidance and support through general troubleshooting steps. While I don’t have access to internal systems or test devices required to resolve backend issues, I truly appreciate your understanding of these limitations. I genuinely hope the information I share helps guide you in the right direction, and I'm always here to assist as much as I can within my scope.   

I hope your issue could be resolved ASAP, if you have any other questions, feel free to reach out.

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Answer 2

To regain access to your Microsoft 365 tenant when the only Global Admin is a former contractor, you will need to follow Microsoft's identity verification processes. Here are the steps you can take:

1. Verify Domain Ownership: Since your organization owns the domain, you can use this to verify ownership. Prepare any official business documentation that proves your organization owns the domain.
2. Submit a Support Request: Go to the Microsoft 365 support page and select "I can't sign in or access my tenant." You may be asked to provide verification of your identity and ownership of the organization through:
   • Official business documentation
   • Domain ownership
   • Publicly listed nonprofit registration data
3. Contact GoDaddy: If your domain is managed through GoDaddy, you may need to contact their support to assist with any domain-related issues that could be affecting access.
4. Avoid Creating a New Tenant: Do not create a new tenant as this can cause conflicts and may disqualify your organization from benefits.

If these steps do not resolve the issue, you may need to escalate the situation through Microsoft support channels to restore Global Admin access.

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References:

• Tenant access recovery
• GoDaddy support for nonprofits: Managing domains and tenant access