Regaining Account Access

Question

Hi,

I'm looking for help in recovering an email account that Outlook has removed access to.

I bought a new device and logged in to my account as normal with the correct password. It needed to verify the account with an email address that I no longer have access to as it no longer exists (old uni email)

Despite submitting 30+ support tickets via the recovery forms and outlook has continued to be unresponsive.

Does anyone have any advice? The account is linked to multiple really important files that access is needed for.

It's really disappointing how unhelpful they have been.

Answer 1

Hey there! Nice to meet you!

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

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 2

The supported recovery options are limited to Microsoft’s account recovery flow.

1. Try the Sign-in Helper first if the account is not accepting the current verification options or the password has stopped working.
2. If that does not work, submit the Microsoft account recovery form again using the strongest possible information.
   • Complete it from a device previously used to sign in to that account, and from a familiar location such as home or office if possible.
   • Provide a working email address that can receive the recovery result.
   • Answer as many questions as possible. Wrong guesses do not count against the request.
   • For Outlook.com/Hotmail.com accounts, exact email subject lines and contact addresses help. Asking frequent contacts for exact subject lines can improve the submission.
   • If the account is several years old, use older details that may have been on the account when it was created.
3. If a recovery request is denied, it can be retried up to two times per day.
4. If the message says the account does not exist, or “We couldn't find an account with that username,” check the spelling and domain carefully, and try any other alias or phone number that may be on the account.
5. If two-step verification is enabled and none of the alternate verification methods are accessible, support agents cannot reset the password or change account details.
6. If the username is no longer recognized after checking spelling and aliases, use the available Contact support option for that scenario.

Microsoft support agents are not allowed to send password reset links or manually change account details for this type of recovery case.

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