I am unable to recover my password to my account under a different email address

Question

My original MS 365 subscription is under @aol.com. I tried to sign in some months back and for some reason my saved p/w was not accepted. I requested a reset email, it never arrived. I tried other browser, still it never arrived. I then went through the Recovery process, filled out the form with as much info as I could recall, and it was rejected TWICE.

I needed my access to MS Office products so I had no alternative but to pay for a new subscription under my gmail account. While I now have the ability to use Office products I cannot access my OneDrive because it is under my old AOL account, which as described above, I cannot get into.

Thanks MS for making what should be a simple process of p/w recovery a complete and utter nightmare.

Answer 1

The original Microsoft 365 subscription and its OneDrive storage are permanently tied to the Microsoft account used to purchase them (the AOL address in this case). To regain access to OneDrive and that subscription, access to that original Microsoft account must be recovered; it cannot be merged into or moved under the new Gmail-based account.

Based on the described attempts (password reset email not arriving, recovery form rejected twice), only the official automated recovery paths can still be used:

1. Try standard password reset again
   • Go to the Microsoft account sign-in page and select Forgotten your password? as described in Reset a forgotten Microsoft account password.
   • Enter the AOL email address and follow the steps under Step 1: Select 'Forgot password?' on the Microsoft account sign-in page and Step 2: Verify your identity for Microsoft account recovery.
   • If no verification options work or are recognizable, use the sign-in helper tool linked there:
     • If no option to send a code appears, or none are accessible, use the sign-in helper tool.
     • If the verification email/phone options are not recognized, use this sign-in helper tool.
2. Use the Sign-in Helper if the password is “stopped working”
   • If the AOL account password is known but not accepted, follow My username and password have stopped working:
     • Start from Recover your account at https://account.live.com/password/reset and enter the AOL address.
     • Ensure the correct domain and spelling are used (for example, no typos in the local part of the AOL address).
     • If the username is not recognized or the system reports “We couldn’t find an account with that username,” follow the guidance in that article.
3. Use the Microsoft account recovery form correctly and persistently
   • If normal reset and sign-in helper paths fail, the only remaining option is the Account recovery form:
     • Before filling it out again, follow Help with the Microsoft account recovery form:
       1. Ensure a working alternate email address is available (this can be any active address, including the Gmail account) as described in Step 1: Ensure you have a working email for Microsoft account recovery.
       2. Gather as much account-specific information as possible as in Step 2: Gather required information for Microsoft account recovery:
          • Old passwords used on the AOL-based Microsoft account.
          • Details of Outlook.com/Hotmail usage (contacts, exact subject lines, approximate dates), if applicable.
          • Any Skype IDs or contacts, Xbox console hardware IDs, or purchase details if those services were used with that account.
       3. Complete the form from a device and location previously used with the AOL account (home or regular office network) as recommended in Step 3: Fill out the Microsoft account recovery form.
       4. Submit the Account recovery form and wait for the email response (typically within 24 hours) as per Step 4: What happens after you submit the Microsoft account recovery form.
   • If the response says the account could not be verified, the form can be retried with improved details up to two times per day.
4. Understand the hard limits
   • If two-step verification was enabled on the AOL-based Microsoft account and none of the 2FA methods (phone, email, authenticator, security key) are accessible, support agents are not allowed to bypass this or reset the password, as stated in Help with the Microsoft account recovery form:
     • Support cannot send password reset links or change account details.
   • If the account has been inactive for more than two years, it may have been deleted and cannot be reopened, as noted in I can't sign in to my Microsoft account.
5. For Microsoft 365 (work/school) scenarios
   • If the AOL address were part of a work or school tenant (less likely here, but covered in the docs), password reset would require either:
     • Using the self-service password reset portal at https://passwordreset.microsoftonline.com if enabled, or
     • Having an administrator reset the password, as described in Forgot password to sign in to Microsoft 365, Intune, or Azure.

If the automated recovery form and sign-in helper continue to reject the information, the AOL-based Microsoft account (and its OneDrive and subscription) cannot be recovered or moved to the Gmail account. In that case, only the new subscription and its associated OneDrive under the Gmail-based Microsoft account remain usable.

---

References:

• Reset a forgotten Microsoft account password
• My username and password have stopped working
• Help with the Microsoft account recovery form
• I can't sign in to my Microsoft account
• Forgot password to sign in to Microsoft 365, Intune, or Azure

Answer 2

mohon kembalikan saldo saya