How to cancel an email change request without access to the original email?

Question

Recently I've noticed strange activity on my Microsoft account however I brushed it off thinking nothing of it. Today I was reviewing my account and the information on it and I realized that there was another person signed in on s different device that I had no knowledge of, now Microsoft is saying that there is an email change that's going to happen in 3 days that I had no knowledge of, and don't know who the email belongs to. I would cancel this request myself, but I no longer have access to the old email address. On the other hand, I do have the password and any other information that may be needed in order to cancel this change, thank you.

Answer 1

Hi! If you can still sign in with your password, you do not need access to the old email address to act on this. Go straight to your Microsoft account Security page and look for the message that says “Your security info change is still pending.” If you did not make that change, select the “let us know” link at the bottom of that window and follow the prompts to report the unauthorized change. Also open Recent activity and mark any unfamiliar sign-ins or changes as “This wasn’t me” so Microsoft can help secure the account.

https://support.microsoft.com/account-billing/what-does-security-info-change-is-still-pending-mean-cbd0f64f-02d9-45d2-90c3-2375e5a72e52

Answer 2

An email (security info) change on a Microsoft account cannot be expedited or overridden if there is no access to the original security info (old email/phone). The 30‑day protection period is enforced specifically for cases where security info was removed or replaced, and Microsoft cannot bypass it.

During this 30‑day period:

• The account is in a restricted state.
• Notifications about the change are sent to the original security info (old email/phone).
• The change can only be canceled from the “Your security info change is still pending” window if the user can verify using existing security proofs.

To respond to the suspicious activity and the pending change:

1. Go to the Security or Security basics page and sign in with the current account password.
2. On the Your security info change is still pending window:
   • If access to the original security proofs still exists, select cancel this request and follow the prompts.
   • If the changes were not made by the account owner and there is suspicion of compromise, select let us know at the bottom of the window and follow the prompts to report unauthorized changes.
3. Review account activity:
   • Open the Recent activity page to check for unusual sign‑ins or devices.
   • For any activity that was not done by the account owner, expand it and choose This wasn’t me or Secure your account (depending on where it appears) so Microsoft can help secure the account.
4. Secure the account:
   • From the Security basics page, select Change password and set a strong, unique password.
   • Update security settings and remove any unknown devices or sessions.

If there is no access at all to the original security info (old email/phone), the request to change security info cannot be canceled directly; the account must go through the 30‑day waiting period while monitoring and securing it as above.

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References:

• What does “Security info change is still pending” mean?
• What happens if there's an unusual sign-in to your account
• Check the recent sign-in activity for your Microsoft account