Help - stressed

Question

Hi can anyone help me? I have 2 step verification on my main email (work email, lots of stuff on there so need it!). Forgot new password so tried the 'forgot password' and I can get to step 1 with a code sent to phone, but when I type in my other email address for them to send a code too, (step 2), no code ever appears?? Really stressed :( xx

Answer 1

Hello, I’m Virginia.

Some have had success with the 2nd step authentication by using incognito/in-private browsing mode &/or using a non-Chrome related browser like Firefox. You may also be able to enter the recovery code which was shown during 2fa setup.

If none of these are successful then you may have to try this:

If you have lost access to all 2fa methods or one of the steps doesn’t work so you can’t receive the code & have no recovery code then there may be a way to reset the 2fa but it requires the user to know their password & if successful would initiate a 30 day lockout before you can add 2fa again.

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/answers/questions/5920985/how-to-fix-we-will-send-a-verification-code-to-mod

Check the Answer by "Hornblower409, dated Jun 25 2026" for a potential solution.

Answer 2

If this is an organization-managed work account, contact your company’s IT administrator now and ask them to reset the password and authentication methods; if it is a personal Outlook.com account used for work, check the registered backup mailbox as described below.

If your employer manages the account

An address supplied and managed by your employer—often using the company’s domain—is normally a work or school account.

1. Contact your IT help desk or Microsoft 365 administrator using another phone or email account.
2. Ask them to:
   • Reset your password.
   • Check that the alternate email address registered for self-service password reset is correct.
   • Require you to register your authentication methods again if necessary.
3. If the reset page displays Contact your administrator, select it. Microsoft documents that this sends a password-reset request to the administrators when the registered user cannot be contacted.^1^

For work accounts, users without administrator privileges should ask their administrator for a reset. Self-service recovery is available only if the organization enabled and correctly configured it.^2^

If you are the organization’s administrator, ask another administrator to reset the account. If no other administrator exists, use the support option offered by the password-reset wizard.^2^

If it is a personal Outlook.com account

Two-step verification requires both registered verification methods; receiving the phone code alone is not enough to reset the password.^3^

For the missing email code:

1. Open the backup email account shown on the reset screen—not the locked mailbox.
2. Check Inbox, Junk/Spam, Deleted Items, and any filtering or blocked-sender settings.
3. Search for mail from @accountprotection.microsoft.com and mark that domain as trusted.
4. Confirm that the masked characters displayed by Microsoft match the backup address you expect.
5. If the backup address is another Outlook.com, Hotmail, Live, or MSN account, leave the reset page open and access the backup mailbox in a separate InPrivate/private browser window. This prevents signing into the backup account from signing you out of the account-recovery session.^4^

Do not request codes repeatedly. Excessive requests can cause a temporary block. Stop attempts for at least 24 hours; Microsoft advises waiting longer—up to one week—if the block remains.^4^

If another registered method such as Microsoft Authenticator is offered, use it. If you cannot receive the code through any registered second method, Microsoft support cannot send a code, bypass two-step verification, or change the account details.^5^

Do not give anyone your phone code, password, or verification code—even someone claiming to be Microsoft support.

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References

1. Troubleshoot self-service password reset in Microsoft Entra ID
2. Forgot password to sign in to Microsoft 365, Intune, or Azure
3. How to use two-step verification with your Microsoft account | Microsoft Support
4. Troubleshoot Microsoft verification code issues | Microsoft Support
5. Help with the Microsoft account recovery form | Microsoft Support