my microsoft exchange email administrator wont release credentials

Question

My current administrator is refusing to give me the credentials to my microsoft exchange emails so i can move the license to a new admin. Is there a way I can access the information myself or will i need to start over and set up new email addresses which will cause disruption to my business. Any advice gratefully received.

Answer 1

Hi Nicerteas O'Brien

Thank you for reaching out to the Microsoft Q&A forum. 

Based on your description, I understand that your current administrator is refusing to provide access or transfer administrative control, and you’re looking for a way to regain access or move your licenses without causing disruption to your business. 

May I know if you still have control over your domain (for example, DNS verification) and any billing information related to the tenant? 

If yes, to regain access, you’ll need to contact Microsoft Support via Customer service phone numbers - Microsoft Support and provide proof of ownership (such as billing information and domain verification). The support agent can help create a service request under the affected tenant and may escalate it to the Data Protection team, who may assist in reviewing your request and advising on possible next steps regarding access to the tenant.

To connect directly with a real person, the call must include the term AdminCenter, and the role must be specified as Global Administrator. In the description of the request, the term AdminCenter must also be mentioned. During the telephone dialog, if asked about another administrator, you can answer “no.” The call will then be forwarded to a real support agent, and a service request can be created.   

Please note that this team is always overwhelmed, so you might need to wait for them to call you, this should take 3-10 working days. I know that this is not a convenient solution to hear but it seems to be the only way, and it's recommended that you should have a secondary/backup Global Administrator to fix this issue on your own.    

If you’re unable to reach support by phone, another option is to create a temporary tenant using the Free Trial - Microsoft 365 Business Standard. From there, you can raise a support ticket on behalf of your locked account.    

-Use this new account to sign in to the Microsoft 365 Admin Center and submit a support request regarding the tenant where you no longer have administrative access.

 -Click Help & Support > then choose Create a support request.     

Note: This method doesn't require you to use your new account for your business. Instead, it allows you to create a temporary global administrator account so you can submit a support request. The trial account is free for one month. Be sure to delete it after submitting your support request to avoid any automatic renewals or charges from Microsoft.      

For further instructions, you can follow this guide: Get support - Microsoft 365 admin | Microsoft Learn. 

Please understand that, as a moderator, I don’t have access to internal systems and am unable to directly assist with tenant ownership or administrative control.

If you don’t have access to domain verification or billing information, then unfortunately creating a new tenant and setting up new email accounts may be the only path forward, even though this may cause disruption.

I truly hope the information above helps point you in the right direction, and that you’re able to resolve this as smoothly as possible. If I’ve misunderstood any part of your situation, please feel free to correct me. 

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Answer 2

For a work or school Microsoft 365/Exchange account, access and administration are controlled by the organization’s Microsoft 365 administrator, not by Microsoft directly. If the current administrator refuses to release credentials or transfer administration, there is no self-service way to bypass that admin or take over the existing tenant and mailboxes.

Practical options are:

1. Identify the actual Microsoft 365/Exchange administrator
   • In many organizations this is:
     • The internal IT/help desk or technical support team
     • HR or the business owner/co‑owner in small businesses
     • The school or university IT support team
   • Contact that person or team directly and request either:
     • An admin change (adding a new global admin), or
     • A migration/transfer plan for your mailboxes.
2. If the refusing person is the only admin
   • Only that admin (or the organization that owns the tenant) can delegate or transfer admin rights.
   • Microsoft support cannot simply hand over admin access to someone else without going through the organization’s verified admin or data‑protection processes.
3. If you cannot gain cooperation
   • From Microsoft’s perspective, the tenant and its mailboxes belong to the organization that controls the admin account.
   • If that organization will not cooperate, the remaining option is to create a new tenant and new mailboxes under an admin account that the business controls, then migrate any data that can be exported (for example, from client-side Outlook profiles or backups, if available).
   • This will cause some disruption (new addresses or domains, DNS changes, user reconfiguration), but it ensures future control of admin rights.
4. Next steps
   • Determine who officially owns the Microsoft 365 subscription (legal entity, company owner, or school) and work through that channel to resolve the admin dispute.
   • If necessary, that owner can work with Microsoft support to verify identity and adjust admin roles, but this must be initiated by the recognized owner/admin, not bypassed.

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References:

• Find the administrator for your work or school account