Unusual activity

Question

I have been trying to get on to my account for the past few weeks not due to unusual activity on my account. I have filled the recovery form out multiple times and it says we will be in contact within 24 hours but never receive anything. There is no support anywhere to try and get back onto it. Everything is linked to this email including the file for my wedding photos. Any idea where I can get any support with this. Or what the reason is I’m getting nothing back after 24 hours or longer.

Answer 1

Thank you for the information.

If it asks you for 1 type of identification when signing in, this means that your 2FA feature is not enabled.

To clarify, do you also have access to the newly set up recovery email address linked to your account?

If not, you will have to update your account's security info on account.microsoft.com > click "Forgot Password" > select "I don't have any of these" > then you will be redirected to the ACSR form.

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

You mentioned that 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 check the "Contact Email" inbox, junk, and spam folders.

If your recovery request is successful, you will be asked to wait 30 days in order to update your security info and recover/unblock your account.

During this time, you will not be able to sign in to sites or services with your account.

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

Thank you for your understanding.

Best regards,

Darhyl

Answer 2

Hey there! Nice to meet you!

Just to confirm, did you have two-factor authentication (2FA) active on the account?

If yes, are you able to access the second factor of authentication?

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.

Also, may I know when was the last time you successfully signed in to your account?

Best regards,

Darhyl

Answer 3

The most likely causes are:

• The account is temporarily locked because of repeated sign‑in or recovery attempts.
• The recovery form did not contain enough correct information to prove ownership, so the automated system is silently rejecting it.

Account recovery for personal Microsoft/Outlook.com accounts is fully automated. Support agents and moderators cannot override or manually unlock or reset passwords for security reasons.

Use these steps, in order:

1. Stop repeated attempts and wait out any lockout
   Multiple failed sign‑ins, MFA attempts, or recovery submissions can trigger temporary blocks. Guidance is to wait at least 24 hours (and up to several days) with no further attempts, otherwise the timer can reset.
2. Use the official recovery paths only
   • Start from the guidance in When you can't sign in to your Microsoft account and follow the password reset flow.
   • If that fails, use the Account Recovery Form again, but only after the cooldown period.
3. Fill the recovery form as strongly as possible
   When the form is next available:
   • Use a device and location previously used to sign in to this account.
   • Provide as many accurate details as possible (old passwords, subject lines of emails you sent, contacts, etc.).
     If the form result is “not granted”, the account cannot be recovered unless a later submission passes the automated checks.
4. Check for unusual or blocked activity
   Once access is regained, immediately:
   • Go to the Security basics page and select Review activity to check for unusual sign‑ins.
   • If anything looks unfamiliar, mark it as This wasn’t me or Secure your account, and then Change password to a strong, unique one.
5. If the Outlook.com account itself is blocked
   If the mailbox is blocked due to unusual activity, use the Sign-in Helper from Unblock my Outlook.com account to remove the block. If that fails, follow When you can't sign in to your Microsoft account from that article.
6. If the account recovery keeps failing
   If the recovery form continues to be unsuccessful after multiple well‑spaced attempts, the official guidance is that the account is not recoverable. In that case, files stored only in that account (including email‑only wedding photos) cannot be retrieved.

For any further assistance beyond these automated flows, use the general Microsoft Support contact options, but be aware they cannot bypass the automated account‑recovery system for personal accounts.

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References:

• Account recovery unsuccessful
• What happens if there's an unusual sign-in to your account
• Check the recent sign-in activity for your Microsoft account
• Unblock my Outlook.com account
• Reactivate an account that has been blocked
• Locked out of my Outlook account and recovery options not working - Microsoft Q&A
• Need help with hacked microsoft account - Microsoft Q&A