Login problems

Question

Login problems

J G 0

My outlook Email developed persistent login problems, kept bombarding me with product adverts and freezing instead of logging me in on my mobile. I had a passkey set up which may have been a mistake. I just wanted to view messages, not be advertised at or taken to a calendar! I tried to log in from another window. The MS system forced me to change my password, now it wont accept either the old or new password nor the even newer one I tried to put in today.

Chaos!

How can I revert this to the original password? I hate having to keep change #passwords.

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1 answer

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Answer 1

Vikki-T 9,585 Microsoft External Staff Moderator

Hi J G,

I can understand how confusing this is, especially after being asked to change the password several times and still being unable to access your email.

Please avoid changing the password again for now. Once a Microsoft account password has been changed, the old password is no longer valid, and you will need to use the latest password that was successfully saved.

Could you please confirm whether this is a personal account such as Outlook.com/Hotmail, or a work or school account? Also, what exact error message appears when you enter the newest password, and are you using Android or iPhone?

In the meantime, please try these steps:

Open a private or Incognito browser window and try signing in at Outlook on the web.
On the sign-in screen, select Sign-in options and choose the password option instead of the passkey, if available.
If the newest password is still rejected, use the https://aka.ms/sign-in-helper to check the account and follow the recommended recovery steps.
If web sign-in works, update Outlook to the latest version, remove the account from the Outlook mobile app, and then add it again using the newest password.
If this is a work or school account, please contact your organization’s IT administrator, as the sign-in or password requirements may be managed by the organization.

Please do not share your email address, password, passkey, or verification codes in this public forum. Please note that this is a user-to-user support forum. Moderators, contributors including external Microsoft employees cannot directly intervene in Microsoft product features or access back-end systems. My role is limited to providing technical guidance on reported issues, requests, or ideas. Thank you so much for your understanding.

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.

Vikki-T 9,585 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-09-02T11:31:44.47+00:00

Hi J G,

It has been a while and I am writing to see how things are going with this issue.

Have you had a chance to check the replies provided?

Any update would be appreciated.
J G 0 Reputation points

2026-09-03T12:36:06.86+00:00

It is a personal account and it is extremely annoying to be FORCED to keep changing our password and then repeatedly told that we still cannot log in.

There is no hacking, just failure of the login system.

Moreover passwords are often not displayed on webpages or even when saved in our own private device, which is obstructive and unhelpful.

I NEVER WANTED TO CHANGE MY PASSWORD. NOTHING WAS HACKED. PLEASE CHANGE YOUR SYSTEM TO ALLOW PEOPLE TO HAVE THEIR OLD PASSWORD BACK.

Constant pointless change is confusing and none of tge new passwords work! Only my thumbprint which means I'm stuck only using the account on mobile.
Vikki-T 9,585 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-09-03T13:38:29.08+00:00

Hi J G,

I understand why this has been so frustrating. You did not want to change your password in the first place, and being able to access the account only through your fingerprint while the new passwords are rejected leaves you unnecessarily restricted to your phone.

Your fingerprint may be unlocking a saved passkey or an existing sign-in session on the phone, rather than confirming that a password is working. Unfortunately, once a Microsoft account password has been changed, the previous password normally cannot be restored or used again.

For now, please do not change the password again. Could you share the exact error message shown when you try the most recently saved password in a private browser window? Please also confirm whether you are using Android or iPhone. If you provide a screenshot, make sure to hide your email address and any other personal information.

Since you can still access the account on your phone, please avoid signing out of the app or removing the account until the password issue has been resolved. You can also contact Microsoft Support for account-specific guidance.

Please note that this is a user-to-user support forum. Moderators and contributors, including external Microsoft employees, cannot access account systems, restore a previous password, or change Microsoft’s sign-in design. However, the exact error message will help me narrow down what is preventing the latest password from being accepted.
J G 0 Reputation points

2026-09-03T22:49:15.3466667+00:00

I wont sign out and I'll send you that information tomorrow.
J G 0 Reputation points

2026-09-04T09:36:08.5133333+00:00

Please INVALIDATE the last two password changes so that the original password is re-stated.

And change the inflexible decree that says you can't restore an original password because you can't restore an original password because you can't restore an original password because you can't restore an original password because ...
Vikki-T 9,585 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-09-04T13:15:43.2033333+00:00

Hi J G,

I understand that you want the last two password changes invalidated so that your original password can be restored. Unfortunately, I do not have access to your account or Microsoft’s account systems, so I cannot reverse password changes or reinstate a previous password.

For security reasons, please do not sign out of the phone where you can still access the account. When possible, please send the exact error message displayed when you try to sign in with the most recently saved password. That information may help identify whether the issue is with the password itself, the account name being entered, or the selected sign-in method.

For direct account-specific assistance, please contact Microsoft Support. This is a user-to-user support forum, and moderators and contributors, including external Microsoft employees, cannot access accounts or make changes to Microsoft’s sign-in system.

I understand this is not the resolution you were hoping for, but I do not want to give you the impression that I can reverse those password changes from the forum.
J G 0 Reputation points

2026-09-05T09:53:25.23+00:00

I will try to do that.

Thank you for your advice and help.
Vikki-T 9,585 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-09-08T11:07:15.11+00:00

Hi J G,

You’re very welcome. Thank you for your understanding, and I hope Microsoft Support can help you regain full access to your account.

If you encounter any difficulties contacting Support or receive an error message that you would like help understanding, please feel free to return and let me know. Just remember to hide any personal or account information before sharing a screenshot.

I hope the issue is resolved soon.