I have two emails associated with Microsoft and I can not verify the main email

Question

I have two accounts associated with my Microsoft account, and I cannot verify one of the emails. I purchased Microsoft office with another email. My administrator email is different. My administrator email is stating it does not exist. Now i am completely locked out till tomorrow

Answer 1

Hi,

Thank you for sharing your question. I understand how stressful it is to have two different emails tied to your Microsoft account and then be unable to verify the main one, especially when one email was used to purchase Microsoft Office while the administrator email is now saying it does not exist.

This usually happens when a Microsoft account alias is not fully verified, when the administrator email was removed or changed in the past, or when the system temporarily locks the account after repeated sign‑in attempts, which can prevent verification until the security lockout window resets. The best resolution is to sign in at account.microsoft.com using the email that still works, review the “Your info” and “Account aliases” sections, and identify which email is set as the primary alias, then use the account recovery form to regain access to the unverified email if needed, because Microsoft Support cannot manually edit or restore personal email aliases for security reasons. Once the lockout period expires, you can retry verification or choose to remove the non‑working alias and set the correct one as the primary address to avoid future sign‑in conflicts.

May I ask whether the email showing “does not exist” was ever deleted or changed recently, or whether you still have access to the recovery phone or alternate email linked to the account? Please feel free to share any additional details about what you see when you try to sign in, and I’ll be happy to help guide you through the next step once the lockout clears.

 

I hope this helps.

 

Best Regards,

Noel

Answer 2

Because of the lockout and verification limits, the situation will not be fixable until the temporary block expires, usually after about 24 hours. Further attempts today can extend the lockout, so it is important to stop trying until tomorrow.

When the lockout period has passed, use these steps depending on what is failing:

1. If verification codes are not arriving
   1. Sign in to the Security basics page and select Update info once access is possible again. Use a method that still works, or choose I don't have any of these to replace security info.
   2. Make sure the verification email is going to the correct mailbox (primary alias or a configured security email) and check the junk folder for messages from @accountprotection.microsoft.com.
   3. If the alternate email is another Microsoft address (for example @outlook.com, @hotmail.com, @live.com, or @msn.com), open a browser in privacy/InPrivate mode and:
      • Sign in with the account that is asking for the code and leave that tab open.
      • Open a second privacy window, sign in to the alternate email account, get the code, then return to the first window and enter it.
2. If the problem is that the email “does not exist” or cannot be used to sign in
   1. If the email was removed as an alias from a Microsoft account and it was an @outlook.com, @hotmail.com, @live.com, or @msn.com address, it is permanently deleted and cannot be re‑added to any Microsoft account.
   2. If the email is from a non‑Microsoft domain (for example @gmail.com) and was removed as an alias, it can usually be added as an alias on a Microsoft account again via Manage how you sign in to Microsoft once access is restored.
3. If there are two accounts with the same email address (work/school vs personal)
   1. The “Which account do you want to use?” prompt means there is both a work or school account and a personal Microsoft account on the same email.
   2. To reduce confusion, rename the personal Microsoft account by adding a new alias and making it the primary alias in Manage how you sign in. This does not affect the work/school account.
4. If completely locked out of the Microsoft account
   1. Wait for the lockout period (about 24 hours) to expire without making more sign‑in or recovery attempts.
   2. After the cooldown, use the standard account recovery and verification flows again from a familiar device and location, and avoid repeated failed attempts to prevent another block.

If the Office purchase is tied to one email and administration is done with another, sign in separately with each account after the lockout ends and confirm which account owns the subscription, then ensure that account has working, verified security info (phone/email) so future verification succeeds.

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References:

• Troubleshoot Microsoft verification code issues
• How to verify an email address in your Microsoft account
• Add or remove an email alias in Outlook.com
• Which account do you want to use?
• Locked out of my Outlook account and recovery options not working - Microsoft Q&A
• MSN email issues - Microsoft Q&A