Locked out of hotmail Mum needs help

Question

Hi there.

I'm absolutely in desperate need of help. My Mum who is in her early 80's has just replaced her ipad,as her previous one broke. She is getting extremely stressed over the fact she can't access her Hotmail on the new device. Her details to have an otp sent are incorrect. My landlines no,and my old email. My brother in law tried to help last night, but microsoft refused to help,as Mum has got confused over her security details. She is in a dreadful panic. She shops online,as she doesn't go out,and has no access to confirmation emails. She doesn't really send emails herself, due to typing issues, which was one of the questions asked by microsoft. I'm getting really concerned over her anxiety because of this. I really need help on what to do. Can anyone please 🙏 help

Answer 1

Please note that this is a user-to-user community. As moderators, I have limited access to internal development details. My role is to direct users to the appropriate support channels and resources. While I cannot provide backend analysis, I will do my best to assist you within my responsibilities.   

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Hi soraya Sperring

I’m so sorry your mum is going through this. Since her recovery info is outdated, the best next step is to submit the Account Recovery (ACSR) form for her Hotmail: https://account.live.com/acsr (fill in as much as you can—old passwords, folders, recent subjects, known contacts, and try from a device/location she used before). 

If the form doesn’t verify her after trying, please contact support so that a live agent could further investigate the case: 

• Visit Contact - Microsoft Support 
• Type a brief description of your issue in the search box  
• Scroll down to the bottom > select Sign in to contact support  
• Log in to another available personal Microsoft account.   
• Under Products & Services, select "Other Products"; Under Categories, select "Manage account security", and click Confirm.  

• Click "Chat with a support agent in your web browser" (during business hours) 

 I can only provide guidance to facilitate the recovery of your mom's account, because community support cannot directly help recover the account, thank you for your patience and understanding.

Answer 2

Follow these steps to try to regain access to the Hotmail (Outlook.com) account on the new iPad:

1. Use the Microsoft account recovery form
   • Because the phone number and alternate email on file are outdated, use the Microsoft account recovery form instead of normal verification.
   • From a browser on a device and network commonly used for this account (ideally the old iPad’s Wi‑Fi at home), go to the official Account recovery form: https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=2288285
   • Fill in as much information as possible about the account:
     • Old passwords that might have been used.
     • Approximate date the account was created.
     • Any contacts she might have received emails from (shops, services, family) and exact subject lines of recent messages if known.
     • If the address is something like @outlook.co.uk or another country-specific domain, enter it exactly.
   • Guessing is allowed; wrong answers do not count against the request. Provide as many details as possible wherever the form allows “add more.”
2. Improve the chances of success
   • Complete the form from a device and location Microsoft already recognizes for this account (home network, usual device if possible). This increases the likelihood that the automated system accepts the recovery.
   • If the form is rejected, it can be resubmitted, but there is a daily limit. If that limit is reached, wait until the next day before trying again.
3. If the account is locked or “Next” does not appear
   • If the sign-in screen does not show a Next button or indicates the account is locked due to suspicious activity or Terms of Use issues, follow the aka.ms/ link shown in that window to submit an account reinstatement request.
   • After submitting, a Microsoft Online Safety support agent will review the request and respond by email. Do not submit multiple requests at once, as that can slow down the response.
4. If verification codes are not received or rate-limited
   • Any phone number that can receive text messages can be used for a verification code; it does not need to be already associated with the account. A trusted family member’s mobile can be used if needed.
   • If a “usage limit exceeded” or “too many attempts” message appears, stop trying and wait at least 24 hours before requesting another code or submitting the form again. Continuing attempts can reset the cooldown.
5. If still unable to recover
   • If two-step verification was turned on and none of the verification methods are accessible anymore, support agents cannot override this or manually reset the password; only successful completion of the automated recovery process can restore access.
   • If the recovery form repeatedly fails even with accurate information, the account may not be recoverable, and a new Microsoft account may need to be created for future use. However, wait for the recovery responses first before deciding this.

For additional guidance and, if possible, to contact support using any working Microsoft account (even a newly created one), use the official support entry points in the references below.

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References:

• Help with the Microsoft account recovery form
• Microsoft account has been locked
• Unblock my Outlook.com account
• Locked out of my Outlook account and recovery options not working - Microsoft Q&A
• Why can't I log in to my Outlook account? - 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