I lost access to my OneDrive Business account

Question

I created a OneDrive Business account about a year ago. It seems I lost the email address and/or the correct password to access it.

Answer 1

Hi @Denys Pelletier,

Welcome to the Microsoft Q&A forum.

I would like to provide you with the following information:

To receive assistance with restoring your account, you can contact Microsoft’s Data Protection Team for support.

Please look up the appropriate support hotline for your region and call Microsoft’s frontline support. After that, request them to create a support ticket for you through the following link: Customer service phone numbers – Microsoft Support

In this case, Microsoft’s Data Protection Team is the only team with the specialized tools and procedures required to verify your identity and securely restore access to the administrator account.

Please note that forum moderators do not have the authority to directly intervene in user accounts, especially for issues related to:

• Account sign-in
• Password resets
• MFA authentication
• Changing or restoring access permissions

Tips for navigating the IVR system (automated phone support)

To help you navigate the IVR system more effectively, please refer to the guidance below:

When calling the support number, you may hear an introduction for about 30 seconds (for example: “You can visit the link…”). You can skip this and wait until the system presents the available options.

Then:

• Press 1 > as a business email user
• Press 1 again > to select technical support

In some regions, the initial interaction may be fully automated. Below is a sample dialogue you can prepare in advance:

What kind of problem are you experiencing? Answer: Authenticator

What products do you use? Answer: Office 365 for business

Is this for an education or company account? Answer: For companies

Are you an administrator? Answer: Yes

Are there any other administrators in your organization? Answer: No. I am the only admin in my tenant

Do you need a service request? Answer: Yes. I need to create a ticket. Please send me directly to the Data Protection Team.

 

During the call, you may be asked to provide subscription-related information such as:

• Company name
• Billing information
• Phone number
• Alternate email address

This information helps the Data Protection Team verify your identity and securely assist with restoring access.

Temporary workaround if you cannot reach phone support

If you are still unable to contact support by phone, you may consider the following temporary workaround:

Register a new Microsoft 365 tenant (trial) here: Microsoft 365 Business Plans and Pricing | Microsoft 365

After the new tenant is created, access the Admin Center and create a support ticket. Then, request to work with the Data Protection Team on behalf of your original tenant.

When creating the ticket, please use the following subject line to help route your request more quickly and accurately:

Request to contact the Data Protection Team to restore administrator account access

 

Important notes:

• This new trial tenant does not grant access to any data or settings in your original, locked tenant. It is only used as a temporary method to contact Microsoft Support.
• Be prepared for Microsoft Support to request identity verification and proof of administrative ownership for the locked tenant.
• Resolution time may be longer since you are contacting support from a different tenant.
• Do not forget to cancel the trial subscription after the issue with your original account has been resolved to avoid unintended charges.

 I hope this information is helpful. Please follow these steps and let me know if it works for you. If not, we can work together to resolve this.   

Thank you for your patience and your understanding. If you have any questions or need further assistance, please feel free to share them in the comments on this post so I can continue to support you.

I look forward to continuing the conversation.

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Answer 2

If you've lost access to your OneDrive for Business account due to forgetting the email address or password, you can follow these steps to recover your account:

1. Try to remember the email address: Check any old emails or documents where you might have used the account.
2. Reset your password: If you remember the email address, you can attempt to reset your password. Go to the Microsoft account password reset page and follow the instructions.
3. Contact support: If you cannot remember the email address or if the reset process does not work, you may need to contact Microsoft support for further assistance. You can find the appropriate contact information for your region at the Microsoft 365 support page.
4. Submit a support request: If recovery prompts do not work, you can submit a support request by selecting "I can't sign in or access my tenant" on the Microsoft 365 support page. You may be asked to verify your identity and ownership of the organization.

These steps should help you regain access to your OneDrive for Business account.