Global Administrator Recovery

Question

Global Administrator Recovery

Lawrence Sirdar 0

My Microsoft 365 reseller (Network Solutions) is discontinuing service on July 31, 2026 (received notice July 23, 2026). I own the domain sirdar.ca and have two active Microsoft 365 mailboxes. I can sign in to the accounts and access email, but I do not have Global Administrator access to the Microsoft 365 Tenant. I need assistance recovering or obtaining Global Administrator rights so I can transfer billing and licensing directly to Microsoft and continue service without interruption.

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Answer 1

Alexis-NG 18,065 Microsoft External Staff Moderator

Hi Lawrence,

If your reseller relationship is still active and has not yet been discontinued, I strongly recommend contacting them as soon as possible to request that the Global Administrator role be transferred directly to you before July 31. This is the most efficient approach and can help ensure uninterrupted administrative access to your Microsoft 365 tenant.

If the reseller is unable or unwilling to perform the transfer, please ask them to open a Microsoft support request on your behalf without delay. Through that process, the Microsoft Data Protection Team can work with you to verify ownership of the tenant and review the available options for restoring administrative control. Because ownership validation may require supporting documentation and additional verification steps, it is important to begin the process as soon as possible to avoid any potential disruption to your ability to manage the environment.

Taking action before July 31 will provide the best opportunity to complete the necessary administrative and validation procedures in a timely manner and help ensure continued access to your organization's Microsoft 365 services.

I hope this provides enough clarity and helps you stay inform with your current situation.

If your reseller is unable to assist you further or if you encounter any difficulties working with them, please feel free to share any updates in the comments on this post. I will be happy to continue supporting you, review the information provided, and guide you through the next available options to help ensure the matter is addressed as smoothly as possible.

Thank you for your patience and your understanding.

If the answer is helpful, please click "Yes" and kindly upvote it.

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Lawrence Sirdar 0 Reputation points

2026-07-29T00:58:52.5833333+00:00

Hi Alexis.

I contacted Network Solutions and received some more info. When I contacted them this morning they said that I had to contact you. Now they are saying that they were setting up another entity called Ingram Micro, but apparently they didn't know about it this morning. Regardless they had refunded my subscription so it sounds like I have to go with Microsoft directly.

Here is their agents answer:

I see that the email plan was released from Network Solutions today as the refund was processed. As the refund is still inprocess Network Solutions still has access on the plan, so please wait for 24-48 hours; the Global Administrator role will be transferred to Microsoft directly or you.

The details will be sent over to Microsoft, and once you contact them after the plan is fully released, which should be within 24-48 hours Microsoft will be able to help you add the plan directly under them and manage it.

So it looks like we wait. How will I know if the transfer has happened? How should I proceed to keep my email accounts working? For information we log into our accounts online, not via the app.

Thanks for your help!!

6:45 PM
Alexis-NG 18,065 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-07-29T16:35:03.5866667+00:00

Hi Lawrence,

Thank you for the update.

To help me investigate this further, could you please share the two active email addresses you mentioned in your original post? Having this information will allow me to review the current status of your tenant and provide more targeted guidance based on your specific situation.

As this information contains personal data, I will contact you via Private Message to ensure that all details remain secure.

When you have a moment, please click the "View messages" on the banner at the top of this thread to access our private conversation. From there, you'll be able to safely share the information with me, and we can continue working on this case directly.

Thank you in advance for your cooperation and kindness.
Sirdar Investment Corp 0 Reputation points

2026-07-30T00:41:18.2866667+00:00

I have lost access to my [Moderator note: Personally Identifiable Information removed] email account. I cannot see any more private messages unless you send them to [Moderator note: Personally Identifiable Information removed]. The Authenticator didn't work so I deleted and tried to create a new account with my [Moderator note: Personally Identifiable Information removed] address. Now, when I try to create a passkey, it asks for the code on the authenticator, but nothing shows up. Not sure where to go from here. Hopefully you can help at least get that sorted. Then we can get the purchase going. Alternately, I you can text my phone number using texting or Whatsapp.
Sirdar Investment Corp 0 Reputation points

2026-07-30T04:53:12.9766667+00:00

After lots of discussions with Copilot, I managed to get access to my [Moderator note: Personally Identifiable Information removed] email. So now we just need to make sure things don't shutdown on the 31st.
Alexis-NG 18,065 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-07-30T15:15:22.1033333+00:00
Hi Sirdar,

I'm glad to hear that you're now able to access your email.

As long as you have access to the Global Administrator account I mentioned previously, your Microsoft 365 tenant should not be canceled on July 31. Your service agreement is with Microsoft, and maintaining Global Administrator access allows you to continue managing your tenant independently of your reseller.

Based on your question in the private message, could you please confirm whether you still need assistance with any of the following?

Adding your credit card as the default payment method

Guidance on paying for or managing your Microsoft 365 licenses

If you would like to continue the conversation via private message, please create a new post by clicking "Ask a new question" on the upper right corner with the new account. Once it's created, either I or another moderator will be able to assist you and initiate a private message conversation.

If you have any additional questions or requirements, please feel free to share them. I'll be happy to provide further guidance and walk you through the appropriate steps.

If you found the solution useful, it would be greatly appreciated if you could mark it as accepted. By doing so, you not only highlight the correct answer for others who may be searching for similar guidance, but you also help create a more collaborative and resourceful community. This simple action makes it easier for fellow users to find accurate information quickly.
Sirdar Investment Corp 0 Reputation points

2026-07-30T19:07:31.4566667+00:00

I still need help on adding a card as a default payment and guidance on paying/managing the Microsoft 365 licences. I am going away this long weekend so will try to figure it out early next week, but if you can guide me as to how to do both those tasks I would be forever grateful. Thanks for your help so far.
Alexis-NG 18,065 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-07-30T19:44:50.7933333+00:00
Hi Sirdar,

Regarding the payment method, adding a card does not automatically make it the default payment method for your subscriptions. You must either replace the payment method currently associated with the subscription or move the subscription to the newly added card through the Billing section of the Microsoft 365 admin center.

Go to the admin center.

If you're using the Simplified view, select the Products tab, then select View payment methods.

If you're using the Dashboard view, go to the Microsoft 365 admin center > Bills & payments page, and select the Payment methods tab.

Select the More actions button (three dots) for the payment method you want to replace, then select Replace.

The Replace payment method wizard opens and you see the details for the current payment method. The Replace for section indicates if you're replacing the payment method for subscriptions (MOSA) or a billing profile (MCA).

Under Choose payment method to move subscriptions, select either Use another payment method or Add a payment method.

If you chose Use another payment method, select an alternate payment method from the drop-down list, and then select Next.

If you chose Add a payment method, select Next. On the Add a new payment method page, enter the payment method details, and then select Next.

On the Review details and replace page, you see the current payment method, the new payment method, and the associated subscriptions or billing profiles associated with the new payment method. Select Replace payment method, then select Close.

For information, please consult: Manage payment methods for Microsoft business accounts | Microsoft Learn

However, if the issue persists when you replace your existing card, please provide me a screenshot of the current error message so that I can investigate further
Lawrence Sirdar 0 Reputation points

2026-08-14T14:25:30.7433333+00:00

Alexis,

Sorry I am just getting back to this. When I click the 3 dots it doesn't give me the option to make a card as the default. Any other suggestions?