I'm unable to sign in because I no longer have access to my old phone number or recovery email

Question

Hi,

When I try to recover my Hotmail account, it says there is no account with this email address.

But when I log in only with my username, it shows the email address, the last two digits of my old phone number, and an old recovery email that contains the first two letters of my name.

Sadly, I don’t have access to any of these. My phone number changed long ago, and I don't know the recovery email either.

What can I do?

Answer 1

Hi,

Thank you for sharing your question. I understand how upsetting it is when you try to recover your account, only to be told that the email address does not exist, and yet the system still shows your username along with the last digits of your old phone number and a recovery email you can no longer access. It is especially frustrating when all of the verification methods are outdated and you are unable to use them to prove ownership of the account. This happens because Microsoft requires at least one working security contact to confirm identity, and when both the phone number and recovery email are unavailable, the only remaining method is the Microsoft Account Recovery Form, which relies entirely on information you can provide rather than verification codes. If the system shows “no account found,” it can also mean the account has been inactive for a long period of time and may no longer be active.

To resolve this, the best path forward is to use the Microsoft Account Recovery Form and provide as much information as possible, such as old passwords you remember, folders you created in your mailbox, subject lines of emails you previously sent, or services where you used this Microsoft account. These details help the system confirm ownership without relying on your old phone number or recovery email. If the form states the account cannot be found, the email may have been closed after long-term inactivity, and in that case Microsoft cannot restore it even with additional support. If the system does detect the account but you cannot pass verification, you can retry the form with different details until enough data is recognized.

Before we continue, may I ask whether you have ever used this Hotmail account to sign in on any device, app, or service that might still be logged in, such as Outlook, Xbox, Skype, or an old phone or computer? I’m here to help, so please feel free to follow up with anything you remember, and we can work through the next steps together.”

Best Regards,

Noel

Answer 2

Because there is no access to the old phone number or recovery email, and the system sometimes says the account “does not exist,” the only supported options are:

1. Confirm the correct account/alias is being used
   • Make sure the full email address is correct, including the domain (for example, .com vs .co.uk) and spelling of the name (for example, rachel vs rachael).
   • If there are other aliases or sign-in options (another email address or phone number ever used with this account), try those as well when signing in or recovering the account.
   • If the email still shows as “account doesn’t exist,” follow the guidance in My username and password have stopped working and use the Recover your account flow from there.
2. Use the Sign-in Helper tool
   • Go to the Sign-in Helper.
   • Enter the email address or mobile number used to sign in.
   • If a problem is detected, follow the steps it provides; if not, it will guide through self-help options.
3. If verification options are all outdated
   • When prompted to choose a verification method and none of the phone/email options are accessible, select I don't have any of these (if shown) and follow the prompts. This is the documented way to proceed when backup security info must be updated and the old phone/email are no longer available.
4. Use the Microsoft account recovery form
   • If the normal reset path fails and the account is still recognized, use the Account recovery form as described in Help with the Microsoft account recovery form.
   • Complete it from a device and location commonly used to sign in to this account (home/office).
   • Provide as much accurate information as possible (past passwords, contacts, subject lines, etc.). Microsoft reviews and responds within about 24 hours.
5. If two-step verification was enabled and no methods are available
   • If two-step verification was turned on and there is no access to any of the verification methods, support cannot reset or bypass it. This is explicitly stated in the recovery-form guidance: agents are not allowed to send password reset links or change security details in that situation.

If none of the above paths work and the account continues to show as non-existent or cannot be verified via the recovery form, the account cannot be recovered further through support.

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References:

• I can't sign in to my Microsoft account
• My username and password have stopped working
• Help with the Microsoft account recovery form
• Troubleshoot Microsoft verification code issues
• Common problems with two-step verification for a work or school account