I cannot log into my work account and have lost access to all my emails.

Question

I used to have a personal account [Moderator note: personal info removed] then later I upraded to a pro/work account but I am now unable to sign in with that account. I have a problem with 'tenant admin recovery via domain verification' apparently.

Answer 1

As this forum is a public platform, we’ve taken steps to help protect your privacy by removing your organization’s domain name from your message. To ensure your data remains secure, we kindly recommend avoiding the inclusion of personal or organizational details such as domain names or screenshots with sensitive information in future posts.   

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Hi @Jonathan Browne, 

Good day, and I appreciate the way you clearly presented your concern, and I’m sorry to hear you're having trouble accessing your work account. I understand how concerning and it can be to lose access to your Microsoft 365 tenant, especially during the initial setup process.  

Because administrator accounts have elevated permissions, Microsoft Entra ID requires them to use multi‑factor authentication (MFA) to maintain a higher level of security. In new tenants, MFA for administrators is enforced automatically through Security Defaults. This protection is enabled by Microsoft by design to reduce the risk of account compromise and is now a standard requirement for administrative access.  

With that in mind, please follow the steps below to regain access.  

Option 1: Contact other IT admins   

Please check to see if there are other IT admins in your company who can help you with the reset MFA for your account and share with them the steps outlined in the article Manage user authentication methods for Microsoft Entra multifactor authentication. This will help them assist you in resetting your MFA settings and restoring access to your account.  

Once your IT admin has reset your MFA, the next time you log in to your account, you will be guided through the process of setting up the Microsoft Authenticator app again from the beginning by scanning a QR code. This will break the loop and allow you to access your account normally.   

  

Option 2: Contact Microsoft Data Protection Support by phone  

If you're the only admin, in this situation, the Microsoft Data Protection Team has tools and processes in place to verify identity and regain access to administrator accounts. You can try reaching out to our Global Customer Service phone to raise a request for resetting your authentication method here: Customer service phone numbers - Microsoft Support. 

Please note that forum moderators do not have access to user account settings and cannot assist with logging in, resetting passwords, or changing access rights. While we do not have access to internal systems or administrative tools required to resolve account-specific or backend-related issues, we’ll continue doing our best to support you within the scope of our responsibilities.     

  

Here are some tips and an example of a prompt to help you navigate the IVR more effectively:       

(When you call the support number, you may hear an introduction of about 30 seconds such as "you can visit the link...". You can ignore this introduction and wait until you are presented with the options. Then press "1" as a business email user, and again "1" for technical help.)           

In some countries, it is an automated conversation like:   

IVR: What kind of problem are you concerned about?          

You: Authenticator.        

IVR: What kind of product do you use?          

You: Office 365 for business.         

IVR confirmation: education or company account?         

You: For companies         

IVR: Are you an administrator?         

You: Yes.         

IVR: Do you have another administrator in your organization?         

You: No.      

  

Option 3: Create a Temporary Account (Trial Tenant) to Submit a Support Ticket (Alternative Method)   

If you still cannot reach to a live agent, there is still a workaround, you might consider registering for a new tenant by signing up for a trial subscription via this link Microsoft 365 Business Plans and Pricing | Microsoft 365. This would allow you to create a new tenant following the prompts provided. Once set up, you can access the admin console of the new tenant and submit a support ticket requesting to speak with the Data Protection team on behalf of your previous tenant.          

Please remember to cancel the trial subscription after your issue is resolved, as this will help you avoid any accidental billing. You may prefer the following resource for detailed instructions: Cancel your Microsoft business subscription in the Microsoft 365 admin center | Microsoft Learn  

I hope this helps you regain access to your account quickly. I'm glad to assist and truly hope the information provided has been useful. Please feel free to reach out anytime if you need further assistance.   

If you find my post helpful, kindly consider marking it as the accepted answer. Doing so can assist others in the community who may have similar questions in finding solutions more quickly.   

Thank you for your kindness and contributions to the forum.   

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Answer 2

Because sign-in to the upgraded work account is blocked and email access is lost, the next steps depend on whether the password is known and whether any security info (phone, email, Authenticator) still works.

1. If the password is correct but security verification fails

• If some security info still works:
  1. Sign in to the Advanced security options page of the work or school account using the working method.
  2. Select Add a new way to sign in or verify and add a new phone/email or other method.
  3. Verify the new method with the code sent.
  4. Remove outdated security methods that no longer work.
  Do not change all security info at once, or the account may be restricted for 30 days.
• If all security info is lost:
  1. Start sign-in to the work or school account.
  2. At the Verify your identity prompt, select I don't have any of these.
  3. Follow the instructions to replace the security info.
  4. After replacement, sign-in is blocked for 30 days while the change completes. If old security info is recovered during that period, it can still be used to sign in, but that cancels the update.

2. If the password is not working or is forgotten

• Use the standard recovery flow for the Microsoft account:
  1. Go to Recover your account and enter the email/phone/Skype used to sign in.
  2. Choose where to receive the security code and complete verification.
  3. Set a new password.
• If the message “We couldn't find an account with that username” appears even after checking the domain and spelling and trying any aliases, contact support using the provided Contact support option and state that the username has stopped working.

3. If this is a work/tenant admin account and all MFA methods are lost

• If this is the only administrator account for the Microsoft 365 tenant and sign-in is blocked by MFA (Authenticator/SMS not working), the tenant admin recovery must be handled by Microsoft’s Data Protection team:
  • Call the Microsoft Customer service phone numbers for the region and clearly state:
    • The issue is with Authenticator / MFA.
    • The product is Office 365 for business.
    • It is a company account.
    • The caller is the only administrator and is locked out.
  • Ask to create a service request and be routed to the Data Protection team for admin account recovery.
• If direct phone routing fails, create a temporary trial Microsoft 365 tenant:
  1. Sign up for a Microsoft 365 trial to create a new tenant.
  2. In the new tenant’s Microsoft 365 admin center, go to Support → Help & support.
  3. Open a support ticket explaining that access is needed to a different, existing tenant where the caller is the admin but locked out due to MFA.
  4. Provide the locked tenant’s admin email, tenant domain, and error details.
  5. After resolution, cancel the trial subscription to avoid charges.

4. If verification codes are not being delivered

• Try password reset or verification in a private/incognito browser session, after clearing cache, and from a different browser or network.
• If codes still do not arrive and recovery keeps failing, complete the Microsoft account recovery form as fully as possible and/or contact Microsoft Support from any other account to assist with the recovery form.

5. If sign-in fails specifically to My Apps / Microsoft 365 portal

• Confirm the correct portal URL is used (for example, https://myapps.microsoft.com or the organization-specific URL).
• Ensure the password is valid and not expired using the Reset your work or school password flow.
• Ensure security info is current; if not, use I don't have any of these at sign-in to update it.
• If the browser is the issue, clear cache, add the portal URL to Trusted sites, and try again.

If the mailbox itself has been disabled in the tenant (for example, if the account was treated as terminated), only a tenant administrator can re-enable the mailbox in Exchange Online. In that case, contact the tenant admin to check and re-enable the mailbox; if the locked account is the only admin, use the Data Protection route above.

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References:

• Common problems with two-step verification for a work or school account
• Troubleshoot problems with the My Apps portal
• My username and password have stopped working
• Services Hub sign in FAQs
• I have a Micrsoft business account and I am the admin and the only user registered under this account. I can't log in because i have replaced my phone and the authenticator doesn't work. - Microsoft Q&A
• I need to speak with a real person and it seems impossible. - Microsoft Q&A
• Requesting a Tenant Admin MFA Reset - Microsoft Q&A
• Not able to have access to my email ! - Microsoft Q&A
• Can't sign in to microsoft 365 desktop apps - Microsoft Q&A