Forgotten current email password and the recovery options offered don't work

Question

I am a senior, and after a fall at I home, I was off email for a while. When I tried to get back on email, I realized I'd forgotten my password. The password recovery process consisted of two options:

a) provide two or more previous passwords - effectively impossible given that I can't even recall my current password.

b) Use a password link sent to a virgin mobile email that I haven't used for over 12 years.

It seems that being elderly with a bad memory is a big disadvantage when it comes to password recovery. It would be more useful to have identifying some of your contacts as part of the recovery process as contact details of family members for example would be easy to provide even if I had to call them to get those details. It really feels like I'm being penalized for my age and memory recall ability rather than being helped to get my life back to normal.

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 FromUK2CA, 

I’m so sorry about your fall and the frustration—let’s get you back in. 

Please complete the Account Recovery (ACSR) form (use an email you can access, and you can ask your family members to add any details to help verify). 

If the form isn’t accepted or you don’t hear back, please contact Microsoft Support (only chat available for personal account) so that a live agent could support you further: 

• 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 hope you can regain access back. Have a lovely day! 

Answer 2

For an Outlook.com / Microsoft account where the current password and normal recovery options are not working, only the official self-service recovery tools can restore access.

Use these steps, in order:

1. Try the standard password reset flow
   • Go to the password reset page: https://account.live.com/pw
   • Choose “I forgot my password,” enter the Outlook.com email address, and follow the prompts.
   • If any of the listed verification options (phone, alternate email, etc.) are still accessible, use one of them to reset the password.
2. If the normal reset flow fails, use the Account Recovery Form
   • Go to the separate recovery tool: https://account.live.com/acsr
   • Enter the Outlook.com email address that needs to be recovered and a different, working email address where Microsoft can contact about the request.
   • Complete the form with as much accurate information as possible. Examples of information that can help:
     • Old passwords (even if only one or two can be remembered, approximate ones can still help)
     • Names of folders created in the mailbox
     • Subject lines of recent emails
     • Names and email addresses of people contacted regularly (family, friends, key contacts)
   • Submit the form from a device and location that has been used before to sign in to this account (for example, the home computer or tablet). This improves the chances of success.
   • Microsoft will review the information and typically respond within 24 hours to the alternate contact email.
3. If two-step verification was enabled
   • If two-step verification is turned on and none of the security methods (phone, alternate email, authenticator app) are accessible anymore, support agents cannot bypass this or turn it off. They are not allowed to send manual reset links or change security details.
   • In that case, only successful completion of the automated recovery form can restore access.
4. If the account or username is reported as not existing
   • If a message appears such as “The Microsoft account you've entered does not exist” or “We couldn't find an account with that username,” carefully check the spelling of the email address.
   • If the spelling is correct and the message persists, review the guidance in “My username and password have stopped working,” as the account may have been deleted or become unavailable after long inactivity.
5. If recovery attempts hit limits or fail
   • If too many attempts are made in a short time, the system can temporarily lock further recovery attempts. Waiting about 24 hours before trying again is recommended.
   • When trying again, use the Account Recovery Form from the usual device and location, and add any additional details that can be remembered.

If none of the above works, there is no manual override: account recovery for Microsoft consumer accounts (including Outlook.com and Hotmail) is fully automated for security reasons.

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References:

• How can I recover my password for Microsoft accounts, including Outlook.com, Hotmail, Live, MSN, Onenote, etc.?
• I can't sign in to my Microsoft account
• Help with the Microsoft account recovery form
• Can't sign in to my email - Microsoft Q&A
• Locked out of my Outlook account and recovery options not working - 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