Partner Center account has been deactivated

Question

I just want to digital sign our mini-driver through https://developer.microsoft.com/en-us/dashboard/hardware as before, but got

no matter I change to other accounts to sign-in, same error.

Answer 1

The error indicates that the Partner Center account used for Hardware Dev Center has been deactivated, so driver signing via the hardware dashboard API/portal is blocked until the account is re-enabled or a new, properly permissioned account is used.

Because the account itself is deactivated, switching user identities in the same tenant will not help unless those users belong to an active Partner Center account with the required hardware/Windows workspace access. Resolution requires Partner Center admin or Microsoft support intervention.

Use these steps:

1. Confirm whether the organization still has an active Partner Center tenant
   • If sign-in to Partner Center in general fails, follow the guidance for sign-in/account access issues:
     • If the problem is password/MFA related, use the flows in the sign-in troubleshooting article (for example, password reset or contacting the appropriate Data Protection team depending on the scenario).
     • If the issue is that no one can sign in as an admin, use the “Solve account access problems” table to identify who must contact Microsoft (global admin, Microsoft 365 Data Protection team, or CSP provider) to restore access.
   • If sign-in works but hardware/Windows workspaces are missing, check roles and access:
     1. Sign in to Partner Center and select the Settings (gear) icon.
     2. Go to Account settings → My access.
     3. Under Request access and help, find who in the organization is listed as Owner/Manager for Windows and Xbox or Hardware developer programs and contact them to restore access or confirm whether the hardware program has been removed or the account deactivated.
2. If the Partner Center account or hardware program is deactivated and cannot be fixed internally
   • Open a support request specifically for the hardware dashboard/dev center so Microsoft can review and, if possible, reactivate or advise on next steps:
     1. First sign in with the hardware dev center/Partner Center credentials.
     2. Go to the Windows hardware engineering support page at https://developer.microsoft.com/windows/support.
     3. Select Contact us → Dashboard issue → Hardware submissions & signing (all OS version).
     4. Include the “Access restricted / account has been deactivated” message and correlation ID from the error page.
3. If unable to sign in at all to open a ticket
   • Use the general Partner Center sign-in troubleshooting guidance:
     • If no global admin is available or the tenant is otherwise locked, follow the “Solve account access problems” table to contact the Azure or Microsoft 365 Data Protection teams or the CSP provider, as applicable, and have them restore admin access or reset credentials.
     • If none of the listed scenarios apply, use the Support for Business Products contact path referenced in the same article to reach Microsoft support and reference that the Partner Center account for hardware submissions appears deactivated.
4. After support re-enables the Partner Center/hardware account
   • Verify that the user used for driver signing has the correct access:
     1. Sign in to Partner Center → Settings → Account settings → My access.
     2. Confirm access to Windows and Xbox or Hardware developer programs.
   • Then retry signing in to the hardware dashboard or using the Microsoft Hardware API for driver submissions.

If Copilot in the Windows developer support page is available, it can also be used as an entry point to escalate to a ticket when it cannot resolve the deactivation issue:

1. Go to Windows developer support.
2. In Non-Technical Support – Dashboard, select Ask Copilot.
3. Sign in with the Partner Center account, provide the validation code, and describe that the Partner Center account for hardware submissions is deactivated; if Copilot cannot resolve it, it will offer a link to open a support ticket.

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References:

• Troubleshoot sign-in issues and account access problems
• Solve account access problems
• Additional reading
• Pages, capabilities, offers, or benefits aren't appearing in Partner Center
• Hardware dashboard API
• Gradual rollout
• Support for Partner Center dashboard