Locked out of emails and no access to recovery phone

Question

Locked out of emails and no access to recovery phone

Jacqui Richards 0

We are currently locked out of an email account we use for our small business and the recovery mobile number is an old number no longer used.
We have tried all the recovery options by email and phone and just need someone to talk to but I can't even find how to open a chat to discuss this.

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4 answers

Your answer

Answer 1

For a Microsoft account with an old recovery phone number, the supported path is:

Try the Sign-in helper first. It is the primary tool for sign-in problems and can either guide through self-help steps or offer the chance to talk to an agent.
If the account is locked, go to https://account.microsoft.com and request a security code. Any phone number that can receive text messages can be used for the unlock code; it does not need to already be associated with the account.
If the offered verification phone or email is not recognized, confirm the sign-in name is correct, including the full domain such as .com vs .co.uk, and check for spelling variations in the account name.
If normal reset options fail, use the account recovery form. Microsoft reviews the answers and responds within 24 hours. A working email address is required so Microsoft can contact about the request.
If recovery attempts have already failed and chat is needed, use Contact Microsoft Support. Enter the problem, select Get Help, and then select Contact Support to be routed to the available support option.

Important limits:

Support agents are not allowed to send password reset links or directly change account details.
If two-step verification is turned on and none of the alternate verification methods are accessible, support cannot bypass that protection.
If the account was locked for suspicious activity and the sign-in page shows a link beginning with aka.ms/, use that reinstatement link and submit only one request, because repeated submissions can slow the response.

References:

Answer 2

Hi Jacqui,

Thank you for sharing the details of your situation.

To assist you more effectively, could you please provide the following information?

Is the affected account an Outlook.com/Hotmail.com personal account, or a Microsoft 365 business account using your organization’s domain?
What error message or verification options do you see when you attempt to sign in? If available, please share a screenshot of the error message or verification screen, making sure to hide any personal or sensitive information.
If this is a Microsoft 365 business account, is there another administrator who can access the Microsoft 365 admin center, or is the affected account the only administrator account for your organization?

Please feel free to share the information in the comment below. Once I have it, I'll be better positioned to guide you through the next steps.

I look forward to hearing your thoughts.

Note: Follow the steps in the forum documentation to enable email notifications if you want to receive email notifications related to this topic.

Answer 3

Jacqui Richards 0

It’s a personal outlook and we have had a number of access denied emails for account recovery. If we can arrange to talk to someone we can talk through it because the online forms and 0800 are sending us in a cycle of failed attempts, locked for 24 hours and repeat.

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Answer 4

Ian-T 10,615 Microsoft External Staff Moderator

Hi @Jacqui Richards

I’m sorry you’re dealing with this, especially when the account is used for your small business.

Since this is a personal Outlook.com account, speaking with a support agent will unfortunately not bypass the recovery checks. Support agents cannot send a password-reset link, change the recovery phone number, or manually unlock the account.

Before submitting the form again, try the Microsoft account Sign-in Helper. If it directs you back to the recovery form, complete it from a device and location previously used with the account. Include exact email subject lines, contacts, previous passwords, and any billing, Skype, or Xbox details connected to the account. Recovery attempts are limited to two per day.

If two-step verification was enabled and the old phone was the only available verification method, support cannot bypass that protection.

Please note that this is a user-to-user support forum. Moderators and contributors cannot access accounts or Microsoft’s back-end systems. We can only provide technical guidance on reported incidents, requests and ideas

Thank you for your understanding

Jacqui Richards 0 Reputation points

2026-09-09T05:48:31.4333333+00:00

Thank you but the reason I am on here is because I cannot find another way to speak to support - I am literally tearing my hair out as the only device that we used the email address was on recently destroyed in an accident so we have no way of using a device previously used to access the account, adding to that issue is that the back up number on the account is one no longer accessible to us - hence the issues we are having. and why I am just trying to find a way to talk to someone but apparently that's impossible with Microsoft. If anyone has any way for me to speak to agent I would greatly appreciate the advice.

The recovery form constantly denies us access, going to https://account.microsoft.com leads nowhere so I am unable to request a code.

If we can just speak to someone we can easily provide proof it is our email address however when we send the recovery form we are taking guesses as the email addresses we have emailed recently (because as mentioned previously we have no access to anything). For the love of all that is good and holy I just need to speak to a human being!
Ian-T 10,615 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-09-09T06:02:10.1633333+00:00

I completely understand why you want to speak with someone, especially after losing both the phone and the only familiar device.

You can try contacting support through the Microsoft Support contact page. If you cannot sign in with the affected account, use another personal Microsoft account or create a temporary one. Enter "live chat", select Get Help, then look for Contact Support - select your Products and category and the available chat option.

Please note that an agent can explain the recovery process, but cannot manually verify ownership, change the old phone number, or override a rejected recovery request. Account access can only be restored when the information supplied through the recovery process is sufficient to validate ownership

Thank you for your understanding
Jacqui Richards 0 Reputation points

2026-09-09T06:28:03.48+00:00

Hi Ian - this is also sending me in a hell loop

I'm logged in - I go to the link you've provided above. I type Live Chat, click Get Help. and there is no Contact Support. If I select Contact it bring me back to the same contact/We're here to help page... I suspect they're not.

At the bottom of the page there is a Contact Microsoft button... but I'll leave you to guess where that goes since I'm still on here trying to find a way to get some help
Ian-T 10,615 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-09-09T06:42:20.6266667+00:00

Oh, sorry @Jacqui Richards , my bad.

Seems like you will not get the Contact Support immediately like the previous Contact Support steps that used to be

You will get the button "Ask out Support Assistant" - please click on that. Then you see the chat session with the AI, please type in things like: "I need live support from live chat agent" and send it. You will see the contact support button, here's the screenshot:

Then please choose like this:

And the option to chat with live agent will appeared:

I hope this helps