Account access issues

Question

Hello, i have been unable to access my account for a few years now as it has a british phone number linked to it for the code to sign in. I have attempted multiple times to access this account and have only failed. How do i gain access to the account?

Answer 1

Hey there! Nice to meet you!

You mentioned that you haven't signed in to your account for a few years now. I'm afraid your account may have already been deleted/closed due to inactivity.

As stated by Microsoft, accounts that have not been signed in or have been locked for more than 2 years will be deleted due to inactivity, and they can no longer be recovered: https://support.microsoft.com/topic/microsoft-account-activity-policy-7c0a9fa7-0982-b7c6-fd72-df852b63699f

Thank you for your understanding.

Best regards,

Darhyl

Answer 2

To regain access when the old phone number is no longer available, use the Microsoft account recovery and security-info flows and avoid relying on that UK number.

1. Start from the sign-in page for the Outlook.com/Microsoft account and enter the email address.
2. When prompted for a verification code to the old UK phone, look for and select I don't have any of these (or similar wording) on the security verification screen.
3. Follow the prompts to begin account recovery. This will direct to the Microsoft account recovery form.
4. On the recovery form, provide as much accurate information as possible about the account (previous passwords, contacts, recent email subjects, folder names, etc.) and specify a current email address where Microsoft can contact.
5. Submit the form from a device and location that was commonly used to sign in to this account in the past, then wait for the response by email.
6. If the form is rejected or the process fails, wait for any temporary lockout period to expire and try again, adding more accurate details.

If the verification options shown (phone/email) are not recognized or are no longer accessible, and the recovery form does not succeed, the only supported path is to continue with the account recovery process; support agents cannot override security, send verification codes, or directly change security info on the account.

If still unable to sign in after using the recovery form, use the sign-in helper and general support options for additional guidance:

• Use the Sign-in helper tool to diagnose sign-in issues.
• If still stuck, go to Contact Microsoft Support, describe the issue (cannot access old phone, need account recovery help), select Get Help, then choose Contact Support for the available support channel.

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References:

• Common problems with two-step verification for a work or school account
• Troubleshoot Microsoft verification code issues
• Can't sign in to my email - Microsoft Q&A
• I need to speak with a real person and it seems impossible. - Microsoft Q&A
• hello my email was (Moderator note: PII removed)@icloud.com and now its (Moderator note: PII removed)@jerkoffmail.com can please someone help me and the team change it my username in xbox is (Moderator note: PII removed) please help me team and change it - Microsoft Q&A