Log in Error

Question

I cannot log into my business account [Moderator note: personal info removed]@nlmag.com.au, it says my password is incorrect, yet I have not changed it and when I try to reset password it comes up with error 4vt9f, when I try to enter my password

Answer 1

Dear @Bill Andrews,Welcome to Q&A forum.
I understand that you’re unable to sign in to your Microsoft 365 business account because it reports the password is incorrect, and when you try to reset the password, you receive the error 4vt9f.

This error usually means the password for a business account cannot be reset through the self‑service reset page. For many business tenants, password changes are managed by the organization’s Microsoft 365 administrator, rather than by the individual user.

Therefore, I recommend contact IT administrator and ask them to reset your password from the Microsoft 365 admin center by navigating to Users > Active users > select your user > Reset password

Important note: Please avoid making repeated sign‑in or password reset attempts for now, as multiple failed attempts can temporarily block password changes.

Once the password is reset by the administrator, you should be able to sign in normally again.

If you are the only admin and you can’t sign in anywhere, For access to the administrator account, please contact the Data Protection Team directly. Contacting Microsoft Data Protection team by phone support - Customer service phone numbers - Microsoft Support.> Microsoft Data Protection team has only required permission to reset your account on the backend. They are the only responsible and privileged support team for account questions.

During the phone call, you will be required to provide the information associated with your subscription - such as your company name, billing details, phone number, and alternate email address - to verify ownership of the company’s tenant. This verification will assist the Data Protection Team in granting you access to the administrator account.

Please carefully follow this instruction to ask for Microsoft Data Protection team support:   

Depending on your country or region. For some countries, when calling the support number, although there are about 30 seconds opening as something "you can visit the link...." But you can ignore this opening and wait until the option, then "1" as a business email user, "1" again for technical help. For some countries, it will be an automated conversation like: First, when you call the hotline, it asks what kind of problem you are worried about.    Answered: authenticator. A: What kind of product are you using? B: Office 365 for business. A confirmation: education or company account? B: For companies A: Are you an administrator? B: Yes. A: Do you have the other admin in your organization? B: No. A: You need one.... Service request? B: Yes   

In this situation, only Microsoft Data Protection team has tools and processes in place to verify identity and regain access to administrator accounts.     

If your organization's Office 365 Business/Education subscription is from a partner or reseller, and the global administrator is unable to open a service request on your end, contact the reseller's support provider to help open a service request on behalf of you instead.   

Please understand that forum moderators have no control over user accounts, especially when it comes to logging in to your account, resetting your password, changing your access, etc.

Alternatively, you can try set up a new trial tenant and submit your support request: 

1/ Start a free trial: Go to Compare Office 365 Enterprise Pricing and Plans | Microsoft 365.  and click Try for free to create a new tenant.

2/ Complete setup: Follow the guided steps to create a new Microsoft account and tenant.

3/ Access Admin Center: Sign in at https://admin.microsoft.com.

4/ Open Support: In the left menu, select Support > Help & support.

5/ Submit a ticket: Clearly state you are locked out of a different tenant where you are the admin. Include: Admin account email, Tenant domain name, Error messages, Issue details, Confirmation you are the administrator

6/ Track your request: Submit and note the ticket number.

Important notes:  

The trial tenant won’t give access to your original tenant’s data or settings; it’s only for contacting Microsoft support.

Support may require identity and admin rights verification for the locked tenant.

Resolution could take longer because you’re contacting from a different tenant.

Please do not forget cancel the trial subscription after resolving the issue to avoid charges (Admin Center > Billing > Your products).

I truly appreciate your patience and understanding. If you have any further questions or need further clarification, please feel free to reach out. I'm looking forward to hearing from you. 

Thank you for your cooperation.

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Answer 2

Follow these steps in order:

1. Wait and avoid repeated sign-in attempts
   • Multiple incorrect sign-in attempts can trigger protection mechanisms that temporarily block additional attempts. Wait before trying again and avoid repeatedly entering the password.
2. Verify the password with Microsoft 365
   • In a browser, go to Office.com.
   • Select Sign in.
   • Enter the same business email address and password used for this account.
   • If sign-in fails here as well, the password is likely not being accepted by Microsoft 365 and must be reset.
3. Reset the password using the official reset flow
   • Go to the Microsoft Online Password Reset page: https://passwordreset.microsoftonline.com/
   • Follow the wizard to request a new password. This sends a request to the organization’s technical support/admin (typically whoever set up the Microsoft 365 account) to approve and complete the reset.
   • If already a Microsoft 365 admin and still signed in anywhere (another browser, device, or app), sign in to the Microsoft 365 admin center, go to View account → Security and ensure alternate email and phone are correct, then sign out and use Forgot password on sign-in to reset.
4. If unable to reset the password
   • If the reset page shows errors or the reset cannot be completed, contact the organization’s Microsoft 365 administrator or IT support and ask them to reset the password from the admin center.
   • If there is no other admin available, contact Microsoft Support using the business support channels so they can assist the admin or data protection process for the tenant.
5. If multifactor authentication (MFA) is involved
   • If MFA is enabled and there have been many attempts, Microsoft Entra multifactor authentication may temporarily block sign-in. Wait and then try again, or use a different MFA method if available.
   • If suspicious activity is suspected (for example, unexpected prompts or codes), contact the IT administrator and have them review Microsoft Entra sign-in logs and secure the account.

These steps ensure the password is validated, reset correctly through the official channels, and that any security-related lockouts are handled by the organization’s admin or Microsoft support.

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References:

• Need help signing in to Skype for Business?
• All about passwords
• Common problems with two-step verification for a work or school account
• Video: Change your Microsoft 365 for business password