Account recovery: No response after 4 ACSR form submissions for ******@hotmail.com

Question

Hello,

I lost access to ******@hotmail.com in 2022 when my iPhone was stolen. I submitted 4 account recovery forms at account.live.com/acsr with old contacts, email subjects, and previous passwords. My recovery email is ******@gmail.com (which I now have access to). I have received ZERO responses from Microsoft - not even a rejection. Can a Microsoft agent please review my case?

Thank you.

Answer 1

Just a gentle reminder that I'm only a Microsoft user like you here in the community. I'm not a Microsoft employee, and I do not have the tools to manually confirm this.

However, based on the article I provided above, if the account is either locked or inactive and has not been signed in for more than 2 years, it will be deleted. It cannot be recovered, nor can it be escalated for resolution.

Best regards,

Darhyl

Answer 2

Hey there! Nice to meet you!

You mentioned that your account was back in 2022. I'm afraid in this case, 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 3

A Microsoft agent on forums or Q&A sites cannot directly review or override Microsoft account recovery decisions, and support agents are not allowed to access or change account details or send password reset links.

For a personal Microsoft/Hotmail account, the only supported paths are:

1. Use the official password/reset tools
   • First try the standard password reset flow:
     • Reset your password
   • If that does not work, continue using the account recovery form:
     • Account recovery form
2. Ensure the recovery form is completed in the most favorable conditions
   • Submit the form from:
     • A device that was previously used to sign in to the Hotmail account.
     • A location commonly used with that device (home/office).
   • Before submitting again, gather as much information as possible as described in the guidance:
     • Old passwords used on the account.
     • Exact subject lines of emails sent from that Hotmail address.
     • Email addresses of frequent contacts.
     • Any Microsoft services used with that account (Outlook.com/Hotmail, Skype, Xbox, etc.).
   • Answer as many questions as possible; wrong answers do not count against the request.
3. Resubmit the recovery form and watch for the result email
   • After each submission, Microsoft sends the result to the working contact email entered at the start of the form within 24 hours.
   • Check inbox, junk, and spam folders of the recovery Gmail address for messages from Microsoft.
   • If no message appears, submit again (up to two attempts per day), ensuring the contact email is entered correctly.
4. If recovery is not granted
   • If the recovery request is not successful, it is possible to keep trying, up to two times per day, after reviewing the guidance carefully:
     • Help with the Microsoft account recovery form
     • Your Microsoft account recovery request wasn’t granted
   • If repeated attempts with accurate information still fail, there is no alternative manual escalation path for personal Microsoft accounts; agents cannot bypass or override the automated verification.
5. If the account may be very old or inactive
   • If the Hotmail account has not been signed into for more than two years, it may have been deleted and cannot be reopened.

In summary, continue using the official recovery form from a known device/location, provide as much detailed historical information as possible, and verify that the recovery Gmail address is entered correctly and checked (including spam/junk). If the automated process cannot verify ownership after multiple detailed attempts, Microsoft support cannot manually restore access to that personal Hotmail account.

---

References:

• I can't sign in to my Microsoft account
• Help with the Microsoft account recovery form
• How can I recover my password for Microsoft accounts, including Outlook.com, Hotmail, Live, MSN, Onenote, etc.?
• Account recovery unsuccessful
• my microsoft account has been compromised - Microsoft Q&A
• My account got hacked - Microsoft Q&A