how to recover my email account

Question

Somebody clearly is trying to hack my email because almost daily it locks me out.

This time you won't even let me use my phone number to recover it

Answer 1

Hey there! Nice to meet you!

Based on your description, a hacker repeatedly tried to sign in to your account, which triggered the system to detect multiple failed sign-in attempts or an unusual login pattern and resulted in the account being temporarily blocked.

Since you mentioned that you have access to your recovery phone number, please perform these steps to fix the verification method error:

1. Perform a password reset via Incognito/InPrivate window using different devices and network services.
2. If it doesn't work, wait exactly 48 hours to reset the password.
3. If the issue persists, kindly wait exactly 1 week to perform another password reset. The idea is to wait for the account lock to expire first before you reset the password, as stated in this article: https://support.microsoft.com/account-billing/troubleshooting-verification-code-issues-409090c4-92b5-42b9-8ae6-bcc97e62fc48#:~:text=If%20you%20received%20a%20Microsoft%20verification%20code%20that%20you%20did#:~:text=If%20you%20received%20a%20Microsoft%20verification%20code%20that%20you%20did

Important: Please make sure not to attempt to sign in or reset the password within that timeframe (48 hours or 1 week), as this may reset the lock cooldown.

Once you have regained access to your account, kindly secure your account by enabling the two-step verification feature and ensure that your verification methods are updated on account.microsoft.com > Security > Manage how I sign in

Lastly, I recommend following the guide from this thread to prevent unauthorized logins: https://learn.microsoft.com/answers/questions/4049625/someone-is-repeatedly-trying-to-access-or-hack-my?forum=windows-all&referrer=answers

Thank you for your understanding! Please feel free to let me know if you need anything else.

Best regards,

Darhyl

Answer 2

Frequent lockouts and blocked phone recovery usually mean Microsoft is detecting unusual or suspicious sign-in activity and is tightening security on the account. Use these steps to secure and recover the Outlook.com/Microsoft account:

1. Review unusual sign-in activity
   1. When access is available, go to the Security basics page.
   2. Select Review activity and check the Recent activity and Unusual activity sections.
   3. For any sign-in that is not recognized:
      • If it appears under Unusual activity, expand it and select This wasn't me.
      • If it appears under Recent activity, expand it and select Secure your account.
2. Reset the password if sign-in fails
   1. On the Microsoft sign-in page, select Forgot my password.
   2. Choose I think someone else is using my Microsoft account if suspicious activity is suspected.
   3. Follow the instructions to recover the account using the available security options.
   4. If the username or password is not accepted, use the Recover your account flow at Recover your account:
      • Enter the Outlook/Hotmail/Live email address, phone number, or Skype name.
      • Choose where to receive the security code and select Next.
      • Enter the code, then set a New password and confirm it.
3. If the phone number cannot be used
   1. If the phone option is blocked or rate-limited, wait for the temporary lockout period to expire before trying again (typically up to 24 hours).
   2. Use any other recovery option on the account (alternate email, other phone, or security info) if available.
   3. If still unable to sign in and the account shows as locked with no Next button, follow the aka.ms/ link shown on the lock screen to submit the reinstatement form. A Microsoft Online Safety agent will review the request and respond by email. Do not submit multiple forms, as that can slow the response.
4. If the username is not recognized
   1. Confirm the correct email domain is being used (for example, .com vs .co.uk).
   2. Check for typos in the email name.
   3. If the account still cannot be found, use any other alias or phone number on the account in the Recover your account flow.
   4. If it still fails with “We couldn't find an account with that username,” use the Contact support option on that page to reach a support advocate and state that the username has stopped working.
5. Strengthen security to reduce future lockouts
   1. After regaining access, go back to Security basics and select Change password. Use a strong, unique password and do not reuse it on other sites.
   2. Review and update security info (phone numbers, alternate email) so there are multiple working recovery options.
   3. Regularly review Recent activity and mark any unknown sign-ins as not yours so Microsoft can better protect the account.

If none of the self-service options work and the account remains locked, use the on-screen aka.ms/ link or Contact support path provided in the recovery pages to reach Microsoft support for further review.

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References:

• How to recover a hacked or compromised Microsoft account
• What happens if there's an unusual sign-in to your account
• My username and password have stopped working
• Microsoft account has been locked
• Can't sign in to my email - Microsoft Q&A
• Locked out of my Outlook account and recovery options not working - Microsoft Q&A
• My personal hotmail account hacked by hacker with authentication app enabled. - Microsoft Q&A