Is there a support agent that can assist me to get me to get my child's email account password reset'ed?

Question

I have created account for my children +/- 5 years ago. But was sole of the purpose of getting their Apple accounts setup. Fast forward to last year when I tried logging in to her account the password did not work and then eventually locked. I tried to use all the self-help option and process available on the Microsoft site but every time it comes back that the information provide was not sufficient. But the issues are some of the questions ask for emails addresses that was uses to send email to from her account but there were no emails sent from the account. I really would like to recover her account, even if it means the account can be delete/cleared completely. There is literally only emails from het apple account.

Answer 1

Hi Ruan Theron-Smit,

Welcome to Microsoft Q&A forum. I understand how frustrating it can be to be locked out of a child’s account, especially when it was created years ago and no longer receives messages.

There is already a Q&A Assist response on this thread, and its guidance is correct. For Microsoft accounts, including child accounts under Family Safety, support agents are not able to manually reset passwords or bypass security verification. Account access can only be restored through the official recovery and identity verification process for security reasons.

If you have not already done so, may I ask whether you had a chance to try the recovery steps suggested in the Q&A Assist answer? Those steps are the only supported path Microsoft provides for regaining access.

That said, I would like to add a bit of clarification specific to child accounts:

• Even when an account is part of a Microsoft family group, Microsoft support cannot override or reset the child’s password if ownership cannot be verified.
• If the child account cannot be recovered and no longer serves a purpose, there is no supported way to reuse or “unlock” that same email address. A new account would need to be created instead.
• Removing a child account from the family group or closing it does not enable password recovery once the security information is no longer accessible.
• Contributors and moderators on this forum do not have access to Microsoft’s internal account systems and cannot request exceptions on your behalf.

If you prefer to contact Microsoft Support directly regarding this matter, the steps below outline how to reach a live support agent for further assistance:

1. Visit the Microsoft Support contact page: Contact - Microsoft Support    
2. In the search bar provided on the page, type "Account Recovery" and press Enter.    
3. Click on the "Get Help" button that appears.    
4. Scroll down the page until you see and click on the "Contact Support" option.    
5. When prompted to select your product or service, choose "Other Products".    
6. For the category, choose "Manage Account Security".    
7. Look for and click on "Chat with a support agent in your web browser".    
8. When prompted, provide a valid contact email where Microsoft can reach you regarding your case.    
9. Explain your situation clearly: Be concise but provide all the relevant details.     

I hope this explanation helps set clear expectations and points you in the right direction.

Answer 2

For consumer Microsoft accounts (including Outlook.com), there is no support agent who can manually reset or bypass the password or security checks, even for a child’s account. Recovery is fully automated for security reasons.

To attempt recovery again, use only the official self-service paths:

1. Start with the standard account recovery flow
   • Go to Recover your account: https://account.live.com/password/reset
   • Enter the child’s Microsoft account (email address) and follow the prompts.
   • If the usual verification options (phone/email) are not available or fail, choose I don’t have any of these to reach the recovery form.
2. Use the Microsoft account recovery form (ACSR)
   • Open the Account recovery form: https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=2288285
   • Complete it from a device and location that has been used before to sign in to that account (for example, the same home network and PC/phone).
   • Provide as much accurate information as possible. If there were no real emails sent from the account, skip those questions or provide what is available (for example, Apple-related messages, any folders created, approximate date the account was created, past passwords, etc.).
   • Ensure a working alternate email address is provided where Microsoft can contact about the request.
3. If the form is repeatedly rejected
   • Review the guidance in Help with the Microsoft account recovery form to improve the answers and try again.
   • If two-step verification was enabled and none of the verification methods are accessible, recovery is not possible; support agents are not allowed to override this.
4. If the system says the account does not exist
   • Follow My username and password have stopped working to confirm the address and domain are correct (for example, outlook.com vs hotmail.com) and try any aliases or phone numbers that might be associated.
5. If still unsuccessful
   • For Outlook.com, the Outlook.com team cannot manually help with sign-in issues. The only supported path is through the Microsoft account sign-in helper and recovery form.
   • If the account cannot be recovered, it cannot be manually deleted or cleared by support; it will eventually be closed automatically by Microsoft if it remains inactive according to their policies.

If additional help is needed with the process (not with bypassing security), use the sign-in helper or general Microsoft account support entry points:

• Sign-in Helper: https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=2214157
• General Microsoft account help and contact options: https://support.microsoft.com/contactus (choose Microsoft account-related options and see if chat/email support is offered in the region).

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References:

• My username and password have stopped working
• Help with the Microsoft account recovery form
• Get help with your Microsoft account
• How to recover a hacked or compromised Microsoft account
• How to get support for Outlook.com
• Microsoft account has been locked