Locked out of hotmail email account

Question

Locked out of hotmail email account

Benjamin Mennes 5

My wife has been locked out of her email account upon returning from holiday.

Even though she had a backup email account set up, she is not getting recovery codes sent to that backup account.

We have followed the procedure, tried to recover the account at least 10 times now.

In the beginning we still got the answer that we didn't provide enough information and that her account remains locked. Which made no sense as we could list exact details of email subjects and recipients.

But every time we tried again and tried adding information. But for the last 3-4 attempts, we don't even get any notification anymore. We get the generic message that we will get an answer within a day. And that's it. No more answer, nothing.

We are getting desperate as this is her primary email account registered everywhere and we are now missing important documents and emails.

Someone from Microsoft, please reach out to me to get this sorted.

Benjamin Mennes 5 Reputation points

2026-08-21T16:47:12.6333333+00:00

AI bot replied:

For a locked Outlook.com/Hotmail account, there is no manual support path that can bypass account verification.

[---]

Just received an AI answer that didn't help. To further clarify, I have followed all the necessary steps so I know them. The issue is that support keeps declining the recovery due to 'insufficient proof'. But the form is always the same so we cannot provide additional information.

And the second issue is that for our last 3-4 attempts we didn't even get a reply.

So please, reach out to us, ask for extra info, tell us which area of the form makes you doubt. Don't ignore or simply send the same generic message. Thanks.

1 answer

Your answer

Benjamin Mennes 5 Reputation points

2026-08-21T16:47:12.6333333+00:00

AI bot replied:

For a locked Outlook.com/Hotmail account, there is no manual support path that can bypass account verification.

[---]

Just received an AI answer that didn't help. To further clarify, I have followed all the necessary steps so I know them. The issue is that support keeps declining the recovery due to 'insufficient proof'. But the form is always the same so we cannot provide additional information.

And the second issue is that for our last 3-4 attempts we didn't even get a reply.

So please, reach out to us, ask for extra info, tell us which area of the form makes you doubt. Don't ignore or simply send the same generic message. Thanks.

Answer 1

Alasdair MacDonald 0

I am experiencing exactly the same problem. Can someone from Microsoft please contact me to resolve as a matter of urgency.

Stefan Blom 354.6K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator

2026-08-21T18:10:59.83+00:00

@Alasdair MacDonald

What have you tried so far? Note that the account recovery is an automated process. Nobody can restore your account on your behalf. See https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/accounts-billing/manage/help-with-the-microsoft-account-recovery-form .

See also https://www.microsoft.com/digitalsafety/account-reinstatement?SilentAuth=1&wa=wsignin1.0 .
Alasdair MacDonald 0 Reputation points

2026-08-21T18:32:51.1233333+00:00

I have completed the recovery form multiple times. Generally I don’t get a response, but recently received response saying I hadn’t provided enough information, however I had completed every question as fully as I possibly could. The problem has stemmed from the recovery email to which MS want to send a code, is an old work email address and is no longer in existence. I am totally frustrated as I have been locked out of my account for over 2 weeks and despite my best efforts cannot recover the account. I am unaware of there being any ‘unusual activity’ on my account.
Stefan Blom 354.6K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator

2026-08-21T18:44:52.72+00:00

I have completed the recovery form multiple times. Generally I don’t get a response, but recently received response saying I hadn’t provided enough information, however I had completed every question as fully as I possibly could. The problem has stemmed from the recovery email to which MS want to send a code, is an old work email address and is no longer in existence. I am totally frustrated as I have been locked out of my account for over 2 weeks [---]

Your frustration is understandable. Please consider starting your own thread so that your question gets more attention. Use the Ask a question option (see the screen shot below). Good luck.