need access to my old email address

Question

hi all,

I have an old email address ******@hotmail.com that is being blocked and I would like to have access back to it so I can have access to my old email.

I have tried to regain access to this account but I got an email stating that I didn't provide enough information.

I have provided several emails addresses with the subject and details of the emails I have sent in the past or received. I don't remember any of my Skype names as this is most than 15 years ago.

Could you please help me regain access to this email.

Answer 1

Hey there! Nice to meet you!

If you do not have any linked verification methods for a password reset, I'm afraid the only way to recover/unblock the account is through the account recovery web form: https://account.live.com/acsr

Important: If you have an active 2FA, ACSR will inform you that your recovery request will be ignored. If you only receive a message that the recovery request is either successful or indicates insufficient information, this means that 2FA is disabled.

You'll need to keep trying until you're verified by Microsoft, and you can do this up to 2 times every 24 hours.

If you didn't receive the results from the account recovery webform, please try submitting another request via Incognito/InPrivate window and using different devices and network services. Then please check your email inbox, junk, and spam folders.

If your Microsoft account recovery request was not granted, please review this link for tips on improving your chances of a successful recovery: https://support.microsoft.com/office/dc56c3e3-dff0-4ed5-8edb-60290eea6b53

Please be advised that Microsoft Support will not be able to assist you with manual recovery, unblock, and escalation for this case, as stated in this article, that they are not permitted to send password resets, access, or even change any details on the account:

https://support.microsoft.com/account-billing/help-with-the-microsoft-account-recovery-form-b19c02d1-a782-dee6-93c3-dc8113b20c42

Lastly, you mentioned that this is an old email address. If you haven't signed in to your account for more than 2 years, this means your account may have already been deleted/closed due to inactivity.

As stated by Microsoft, accounts that have not been signed in or have been locked for more than 2 years will be deleted due to inactivity, and they can no longer be recovered: https://support.microsoft.com/topic/microsoft-account-activity-policy-7c0a9fa7-0982-b7c6-fd72-df852b63699f

Thank you for your understanding.

Best regards,

Darhyl

Answer 2

If the automated recovery process says there is not enough information, the only option is to retry that same process with more and better details; support cannot manually override it for consumer Outlook.com/Hotmail accounts.

Use these steps and tips:

1. Go through standard sign-in/recovery
   • Go to the Outlook.com sign-in page and try to sign in with the old Hotmail address.
   • When sign-in fails, choose the Recover your account / Forgot password option and follow the prompts.
   • If the system offers to send a code to a recovery email/phone you still control, use that path first.
2. If you must use the recovery form
   • Use the Microsoft account recovery form from the sign-in flow.
   • Fill it out from a device, browser, and location that were commonly used with that account.
   • For Outlook.com/Hotmail specifically, include as much as possible:
     • Exact subject lines of emails sent or received (check with friends/family you emailed and ask them for exact subjects).
     • Email addresses of contacts you frequently wrote to.
     • Old passwords you might have used on that account (you can also check saved passwords in your browsers or password managers).
     • Approximate dates when the account was created and when it was last used.
     • Country/region and ZIP/postal code that were on the account when it was created (think back to where you lived at that time).
   • Answer every question you can; wrong answers do not count against the request, but blank answers reduce the chance of success.
   • If the request is denied, adjust and resubmit with any additional details you can gather.
3. If the account is very old and unused
   • If the Hotmail/Outlook.com account has not been signed into for more than 2 years, it may have been permanently deleted due to inactivity. In that case, the mailbox and address cannot be restored or reused.

If repeated, carefully completed recovery attempts are still rejected, and the account has not been signed into for years, there is no further escalation path documented for restoring access to that specific mailbox.

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References:

• How to sign in to Hotmail
• Help with the Microsoft account recovery form
• My username and password have stopped working
• Attempting to access old email - Microsoft Q&A