Unable to Receive OTP/Verification Emails in Microsoft 365 - Worked Fine Until 2 Weeks Ago

Question

Unable to Receive OTP/Verification Emails in Microsoft 365 - Worked Fine Until 2 Weeks Ago

Ayaz Ahemed 35

Question:

I have a critical issue with my Microsoft 365 email account (**remove PII) that started exactly 2 weeks ago. I have suddenly stopped receiving all automated emails including OTP verification codes, password reset emails, and account verification emails from various services. Regular emails from people work perfectly fine.

My Setup:

Microsoft 365 Business Account
Company domain: remove PII
Issue started: ~2 weeks ago (previously worked perfectly)
Affected: Only automated emails (OTPs, verifications, system notifications)
Working fine: Regular person-to-person emails

What I've Already Tried:

✅ Checked ALL folders (Inbox, Junk, Deleted Items, Archive, Other tab)

✅ Verified safe/blocked senders lists (clean)

✅ Tested multiple browsers (Chrome, Edge)

✅ Tried different networks + VPN

✅ Tested from different devices

✅ Checked Focused Inbox settings (both tabs)

✅ Added common automated domains to safe senders

✅ Verified all message handling settings

✅ No email rules or filters active

Current Status:

Junk folder: Empty
Deleted items: Empty
Safe senders: Configured properly
No blocked domains
All settings appear normal

What I Suspect: Since this worked perfectly until exactly 2 weeks ago and only affects automated emails, I believe there might be:

Server-side filtering changes on my account
Updated security policies (ATP/anti-phishing)
Organization-level mail flow rule changes
Microsoft Defender settings blocking legitimate emails

My Question: How can I identify and resolve server-side filtering that's blocking automated emails? I don't have admin access to check organization-level policies. This is severely impacting my work as I cannot access services requiring email verification.

Additional Info:

No admin access to Microsoft 365 admin center
Organization IT may not be immediately available
Need solution that works at user account level
Willing to provide additional diagnostics if needed

Has anyone experienced similar issues with Microsoft 365 suddenly blocking automated emails? What solved it for you?

Rose Hegele 20 Reputation points

2025-07-28T13:08:11.06+00:00

I am having this exact problem. It started suddenly a few weeks ago. If I’m trying to log into a website for the first time in awhile, that organization will pop up a message saying they sent a verification code to my email so they can verify it is me logging in but the verification code email never comes. If I try to save password, same verification Codie is required and never comes. Password reset emails do not come either. This has happened with multiple organizations so this is not related to their processes, this has to be a Microsoft issue. How do I stop Microsoft from blocking these type of emails?
Michael Nixon 5 Reputation points

2025-08-01T21:58:04.57+00:00

I am having the exact same issue and have been on the phone with Microsoft Support for several minutes. It's not a rule, it's not a blocked sender. I have had verification emails from Microsoft, Malware Bytes, Kansas Turnpike Authority and others that never make it to my email account. There's filtering going on somewhere in the background at Microsoft.
H2O MOE 0 Reputation points

2025-09-22T00:45:52.96+00:00

I cannot use it

4 answers

Your answer

Rose Hegele 20 Reputation points

2025-07-28T13:08:11.06+00:00

I am having this exact problem. It started suddenly a few weeks ago. If I’m trying to log into a website for the first time in awhile, that organization will pop up a message saying they sent a verification code to my email so they can verify it is me logging in but the verification code email never comes. If I try to save password, same verification Codie is required and never comes. Password reset emails do not come either. This has happened with multiple organizations so this is not related to their processes, this has to be a Microsoft issue. How do I stop Microsoft from blocking these type of emails?
Michael Nixon 5 Reputation points

2025-08-01T21:58:04.57+00:00

I am having the exact same issue and have been on the phone with Microsoft Support for several minutes. It's not a rule, it's not a blocked sender. I have had verification emails from Microsoft, Malware Bytes, Kansas Turnpike Authority and others that never make it to my email account. There's filtering going on somewhere in the background at Microsoft.
H2O MOE 0 Reputation points

2025-09-22T00:45:52.96+00:00

I cannot use it

Answer 1

Dear @Ayaz Ahemed,

Thank you for posting your question in the Microsoft Q&A forum.

I truly appreciate for the detailed breakdown of your issue with Microsoft 365 not receiving automated emails like OTPs and verification codes. Based on your setup and the extensive troubleshooting you've already done, there are still a few things you can do at the user level to help surface and potentially resolve the issue.

Option 1: Add a new way to sign in User's image

For reference: Microsoft account security info & verification codes

Option 2: Troubleshooting verification code issues

For reference: Troubleshooting verification code issues

Option 3: Contact Admin - Raise Support Ticket to Microsoft Support

In this case, as forum moderators, we don't have access to the backend systems to effectively fix this due to privacy and security restrictions. We are just organizing use cases and collecting data, including from you, on a daily basis and will continue to monitor the progress of this issue.

For this reason, the most efficient solution would be to reach out to your admin to report this issue or create a support ticket from Microsoft Support to get confirmation about this technical issue. And the related supported team will further help; then you will get a more detailed and professional answer to your query there.

I hope this information is helpful. Please follow these steps and let me know if it works for you. If not, we can work together to resolve this.

Looking forward to hearing from you.

If the answer is helpful, please click "Accept Answer" and kindly upvote it. If you have extra questions about this answer, please click "Comment".

Note: Please follow the steps in our documentation to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread. User's image

Vivian-HT 11,205 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-07-26T08:18:51.0433333+00:00

Hello @Ayaz Ahemed,

Good day and I hope you're doing well. I just wanted to check in and see if the issue has been resolved.

If you're still facing any problems, please feel free to share more details about the current error or steps you're stuck on. I’ll be happy to assist further.

Looking forward to your update.
Vivian-HT 11,205 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-07-27T23:30:31.83+00:00

Hello @Ayaz Ahemed,

I hope this message reached you.

This is my second time reaching out to check if your issue has been resolved. I really want to make sure your experience is as smooth as possible. If your issue persists or if you encounter any new difficulties, please share more details about the current steps you are taking. I am always happy to assist you whenever you need.

While waiting for your response, I will also be monitoring other customer questions on the forum to assist them. If you have any further questions or updates, please tag (@Vivian-HT) in the reply so I can assist you more promptly and thoroughly.

I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Answer 2

Rose Hegele 20

All help offered by the Q&A have not resolved my problem. I am unable to log into other websites/platforms that use my outlook email address as the username because several now have an extra layer of security and will not allow me to login with my username and password alone - they email a security code to my outlook email. These emails never hit my outlook where I can see them even after I ensure that I have added the correct email addresses to the safe senders list.

This problem started mid June 2025 for me. I was not having this problem before that and I did not make any changes to my outlook settings UNTIL AFTER the problem started and those changes I have made were to try to resolve the problem.

Microsoft needs to fix this problem. How do I call in to talk to an actual person with Microsoft to try to resolve this problem?

Hong Zhe 0 Reputation points

2026-01-31T01:31:24.1633333+00:00

same, i cant receive emails from some domains but have received from others
Vivian-HT 11,205 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-02-02T02:43:29.83+00:00

Dear @Hong Zhe,

I understand how inconvenient this can be, especially when emails from some domains are received normally while others never arrive.

Based on your description, this type of issue is usually related to domain‑level filtering, sender reputation, or mail flow policies, rather than a general problem with your mailbox. These scenarios often require a deeper, case‑specific review (for example, checking message trace results or non‑delivery reports), which isn’t always possible within a single thread.

To ensure you get the most accurate and timely assistance, I recommend posting a new question in the Microsoft Q&A forum, dedicated specifically to your scenario. This allows the engineers and moderators who specialize in mail flow and Exchange Online to review your case in detail and provide targeted guidance.

This will help the community and Microsoft moderators better understand your situation and assist you more effectively.

Thank you for your patience, and we appreciate your understanding.

Answer 3

andrew reid 5

the problem never been fix always get try another method on my number and a know my number is ok it is the back of microsoft disgusting there never help should b put there heads to shame as there mess up big time

Answer 4

Deleted

This answer has been deleted due to a violation of our Code of Conduct. The answer was manually reported or identified through automated detection before action was taken. Please refer to our Code of Conduct for more information.

Comments have been turned off. Learn more

Share via

Unable to Receive OTP/Verification Emails in Microsoft 365 - Worked Fine Until 2 Weeks Ago

4 answers

Your answer