Hotmail Sign in Issue

Question

I can sign into Microsoft successfully with my password. My hotmail email account works on my phone, but my PC has been blocked with 'too many failed attempts' for months. This is not a password recovery issue. I need escalation to investigate a device/sign-in block

Answer 1

This is unfortunately a common issue; I deal with it myself. It was explained to me that the message is the result of password spraying - enough bad login attempts with the wrong password generates this message. As I said, I deal with it routinely. Changing the password works for a short time and occasionally it is free all by itself. Sadly, checking your recent activity does no good as bad login attempts are no longer listed. I have 2FA enabled and use authenticator on my phone, which works, and I have a PIN setup on a second machine that always works, as will Windows Hello and Security Keys. If you setup Passwordless Login, that works, too. Using a login alias, as detailed on this page, should stop the issue:

https://www.outlook-tips.net/tips/keeping-hackers-microsoft-accounts/

Answer 2

Hello, thank you for reaching out to Microsoft Q&A.

1. Have you tried clearing your browsing history, cache, and cookies to see if you can sign in with your Microsoft account successfully?
2. Alternatively, open an Incognito/Private browsing window in a different web browser such as Edge*, Chrome, or Firefox* and check whether you encounter the same error there.

Since you can sign in successfully on your mobile phone, the issue is likely not with your account itself. Based on the error message, it appears that Microsoft servers may have detected unusual activity in your account..

*For example, if you used a VPN on this device while accessing your account, it may temporarily block the device from signing in. (OR) someone tried to access your account from a different region or location. So,

Please sign in to the Recent activity page of your Microsoft account and check whether there is any unusual activity.

https://account.live.com/Activity

If you notice anything suspicious, immediately secure your Microsoft account by changing your password, enabling two-factor authentication (2FA), and adding the Microsoft Authenticator app for additional security. After enabling 2FA, check if you can sign in normally on your PC.

To turn on 2FA, sign in to your Microsoft account and go to the Security settings page.

Make sure you have at least three verification methods set up and active to verify your identity.