Cant access emails

Question

Cant access emails

Kristen Russell 0

Cant access my emails and no longer have cell number listed on my account

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2 answers

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Answer 1

Alice-N 10,370 Microsoft External Staff Moderator

Hi Kristen Russell

I understand you can’t access your Outlook.com emails, and you no longer have the phone number that was previously listed on the account. I’m happy to help. Are you unable to sign in at all (blocked on verification to the old phone), or can you sign in but emails are missing/not updating in Outlook.com? Is your account a personal account or a work/school account?

I would love to hear from you soon. Have a lovely day!

Alice-N 10,370 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-05-01T04:00:21.43+00:00

Hi Kristen Russell

I hope you are doing well ! I just want to check if you have had a chance to check my reply earlier? Please let me know when you have time.

Have a lovely day!
Kristen Russell 0 Reputation points

2026-05-01T10:37:22.9366667+00:00

No cant access email, and yes its a personal account

Cant reset my password cause dont have phone number that is listed on account to send verification code to
Alice-N 10,370 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-05-06T04:02:23.8+00:00

Hi Kristen Russell

Thanks for your reply. Since you don't have a phone number to send codes to, please submit the Account Recovery Form (ACSR) from a device you’ve used before, and fill in as much accurate account info as you can.

Please tell me how it goes. Thank you for your understanding!
Kristen Russell 0 Reputation points

2026-05-06T12:20:50.9166667+00:00

So i did the Account Recovery Form and when they sent me the link to reset my password it said the session had expired i immediately clicked on the link to change password as soon as i received the email
Alice-N 10,370 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-05-08T04:19:57.76+00:00
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.

Hi Kristen Russell. The “session expired” message usually means the reset session/token didn’t validate in that browser session, even if you opened it right away.

Please try this once more with a fresh session:

Open an InPrivate/Incognito window, and make sure you’re not signed in to any other Microsoft account in that browser.

Start a brand‑new reset from Recover your account and use the newest email/link you receive in the same InPrivate/Incognito window (don’t switch browsers/devices).

Double‑check your device date/time is correct and temporarily turn off any VPN/proxy if you use one.

If it still expires after that, please submit the recovery form again (you can try up to 2 times per day) via Microsoft account recovery form. And if you hit a temporary lockout from too many attempts, wait about 24 hours before trying again

If the error continues across fresh sessions, please reach Microsoft Support via:

Visit Contact - Microsoft Support (Only chat support is available for personal account)

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)

Thank you for your understanding and time. Have a nice day!

Answer 2

To regain access to Outlook.com email when the phone number on the account is no longer available, use the Microsoft account recovery and sign-in tools and then review mailbox settings once access is restored.

If sign-in fails or the password is not accepted
- Use the Microsoft account sign-in helper to diagnose and fix most sign-in issues: Microsoft account sign-in helper.
- If the username or password has stopped working, use the account recovery flow:
  1. Go to Recover your account: Recover your account.
  2. Enter the email address, phone number, or Skype name used to sign in.
  3. Choose where to get a security code (alternate email, other alias, etc.) and select Next.
  4. Enter the requested information and select Send code.
  5. Enter the security code to verify identity.
  6. Set a new password.
- If the primary alias (email address) is not recognized, try another alias or phone number on the account.
If access is still blocked
- If the recovery flow reports “We couldn't find an account with that username” or similar and none of the recovery options work, contact support from the dedicated page and indicate that the username has stopped working: Contact support.
After regaining access, if email still cannot be received
- Confirm that Outlook.com mailbox and cloud storage are not full; if storage is full, sending and receiving email will stop until space is freed.
- If storage is fine but mail is missing:
  - Check the Other tab and remove filters.
  - Check Junk Email settings and folder; mark valid messages as Not junk.
  - Verify sort order via Filter > Sort > Date.
  - Check for email forwarding and rules that might move or delete messages.

If none of the recovery options (alternate email, other aliases, or security info) are available, the only supported path is to complete the recovery process as fully and accurately as possible and, if needed, escalate via the support contact link.

References:

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Cant access emails

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