my microsoft account [Moderator note: Removed PII]@hotmail.com was hacked today

Question

my microsoft account [Moderator note: Removed PII]@hotmail.com was hacked today, now microsoft doesnt recognise my email.

Answer 1

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Hello Kate Lewis

Thank you for reaching out to Microsoft Q&A Forum. I understand how alarming this situation is. When Microsoft suddenly "doesn’t recognize" a Hotmail/Outlook email after a hack, it often means the attacker changed/removed the sign‑in alias, so the address you’re entering no longer matches what Microsoft has on the account.

Here's what you can try next:

1. Confirm you’re entering the exact sign-in address

Microsoft specifically advises double‑checking the email address and domain (for example, Hotmail/Outlook country domains like .com vs .co.uk, and spelling).

If you ever had another alias (another email or phone number added to the same Microsoft account), you may still be able to sign in with that instead. Microsoft explains that aliases can be used to sign in and share the same account settings/password.

You can see: My username and password have stopped working - Microsoft Support

2. If you can’t sign in at all, submit the Account Recovery Form (ACSR)

When the attacker changed your sign-in details and you can’t pass normal verification, please try to fill out the Microsoft Account Recovery Form (ACSR):

• Go to: https://account.live.com/acsr
• Enter your original email and an alternate email where Microsoft can contact you.
• Provide as many accurate details as possible, such as old passwords, frequent contacts/subject lines and submit from a familiar device/location.
• Wait 24–72 hours for a response. You may refine and resubmit up to twice per day.   
• Please see this official guide to help you fill out the form more accurately: Help with the Microsoft account recovery form - Microsoft Support

3. Contact Support Team directly

Once you’ve tried the steps above, you can reach out directly to the Microsoft Support team. It may offer live chat and, depending on your subscription/region, an option to request a callback:

• Go to Contact - Microsoft Support
• Type a brief description of your issue in the search box.    
• Click "Get Help", then scroll to the bottom and select "Contact Support”.
• Choose the appropriate Products & Services/ Category.
• Look for and select "Chat with a support agent in your web browser" (during business hours) or a similar callback option (if available). Explain your situation clearly.

Kindly note that this is a public user-to-user forum, I do not have the ability, tools to unblock, recover accounts or bypass security. Only Microsoft’s official recovery process can restore access.

Please feel free to let me know how it goes. I truly appreciate your time and understanding.

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