My account has been hacked now everything is in a language I have never seen before

Question

My Hotmail has been hacked, the side and top bars are in a language I have never seen before. Is there a way to recover my account? Delete any of the alternate language?

Answer 1

Yep - in many cases a hacked Hotmail (Microsoft) account can be recovered, especially if you can still access it. The strange language on the interface indicates that someone changed your account settings, including the display language and possibly security details.

First try to secure the account. Go to https://account.microsoft.com and sign in. If you can get in, go directly to the Security section and choose “Change password.” Create a completely new password that you have never used before. After that, open “Advanced security options” and review recent sign-in activity, remove any devices or sessions you do not recognize, and turn on two-step verification.

Next check the account profile settings because attackers often change the language. Go to https://account.microsoft.com/profile and look for the language or region setting. Even if the interface is in another language, the page structure remains similar. Look for something resembling “Language,” “Region,” or a globe icon and set it back to your preferred language such as English. Saving the change should restore the interface.

You also need to check whether the attacker added their own recovery information. In the Security section open “Advanced security options,” then review alternate email addresses, phone numbers, and authenticator apps. Remove anything you do not recognize and add your own trusted recovery email and phone number.

Another important step is checking mail rules because hackers often create hidden rules that forward or delete your emails. In Outlook web mail open Settings, then Mail, then Rules. Delete any rule that forwards messages to addresses you do not recognize.

If you cannot sign in, use Microsoft’s account recovery form at https://account.live.com/acsr. You will need to provide the email address, a contact email, and answer questions about the account such as previous passwords, subjects of recent emails, or contacts you emailed. Microsoft uses this information to verify ownership.

If the language change is making it hard to navigate, you can temporarily force English in many Microsoft pages by opening them with this parameter:

https://account.microsoft.com/?lang=en-us

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hth

Marcin