Unable to Sign Up for Microsoft Fabric free trial

Question

I have a problem signing up for Microsoft Fabric account Free Trial. Every time I try to Sign Up, it prompts me to use my Microsoft developer account email, which I signed up few years ago (and possibly has become dormant?). Every time I approve my request in Microsoft Authenticator, different numbers keep appearing again and again for sign-in request. But, I am still unable to login to MS Power Fabric and MS Power BI using the developer account email.

 

Are there other ways to get other organizational email in order to proceed with self-learning Microsoft Fabric and Power BI? Do I need to reset my dormant developer email in order to proceed sign up for MS Fabric and Power BI. I am independently self-learning Microsoft products, without being affiliated with any organizations. Please let me know on how to proceed.

Answer 1

Hi @Nelisa Ameera Mohamed Joeharry

Based on your description, this looks like two separate issues: the Fabric/Power BI sign-up requirement for an organizational account, and an MFA loop with your old Microsoft developer account.

You do not necessarily need to recover the dormant developer account just to continue learning Microsoft Fabric or Power BI. Microsoft provides a supported path to start a Microsoft Fabric free trial by using a personal email. The process is to create or use an Azure account with your personal email, create a new user in Microsoft Entra ID, then sign in to Microsoft Fabric with that new Entra user and activate the Fabric free trial from the profile menu.

For Power BI, please note that the Power BI service requires a work or school account. Personal email addresses such as Gmail or Hotmail cannot be used directly for Power BI service sign-up. If you do not have a work or school account, one option is to start a Microsoft 365 trial, which creates an organizational email account that can then be used with Power BI.

Regarding the Microsoft Authenticator issue, if the old developer account keeps prompting for number matching and approval never completes, the account may be stuck in an MFA loop. If this is a work/school or developer tenant account, MFA usually needs to be reset by another administrator in that tenant. If you are the only administrator and cannot sign in, you may need to contact Microsoft support for account recovery. If your main goal is self-learning, creating a new Azure/Entra user for Fabric may be the fastest path forward.

References:

• Start a Microsoft Fabric free trial with your personal email
• Try Microsoft Fabric for free
• Sign up for or purchase Power BI as an individual

I hope this information help.

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Answer 2

For independent self-learning, there are two supported paths:

1. Microsoft Fabric with a personal email
   • A personal email address can be used for a Microsoft Fabric free trial, but it requires creating or signing in to an Azure account first.
   • In the Azure portal, create a user in Microsoft Entra ID with the personal email address, then sign in to the Fabric portal with that new user and activate Free trial from the profile menu.
   • During Azure account setup, phone verification and a payment method can be required for verification.
2. Power BI sign-up requirements
   • Power BI self-service sign-up does not accept personal email accounts directly. It requires a work or school account.
   • If there is no work or school account, the documented path is to start a Microsoft 365 trial first to create a work email account, then use that account for Power BI sign-up.

For the current sign-in issue with the old developer account:

• If the problem is specifically that sign-in or password recovery is failing, use the Self-Service Password Reset wizard if that account is enabled for self-service password reset.
• If password reset does not work, the next documented step is to work with the organization’s internal support team. No additional self-service recovery path for a dormant developer account is provided in the available documentation.

So, the practical way forward is:

1. For Fabric learning now, use the personal-email Fabric trial path through Azure and Microsoft Entra ID.
2. For Power BI, use a Microsoft 365 trial to obtain a work/school-style account, because personal email isn’t accepted directly.
3. Only pursue the old developer account if access to that exact account is still needed; otherwise it is not required for starting the Fabric personal-email trial path.

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References:

• Start a Microsoft Fabric free trial with your personal email
• Sign up for or purchase Power BI as an individual
• Power BI self-service licensing and trial FAQ
• Resolve sign-in problems or reset your password for Power BI and Fabric