Totally shut out of Hotmail account

Question

Totally shut out of Hotmail account

Arran Armitage 0

Hi, I have been locked out of my email account. It was working fine and then just stopped. I have put password in, gone through the security process of name, dob, emails sent, subject lines and it still will not let me in. I have had this account for maybe 20 years so can't always remember what security i had set up but it won't let me use my finger print or send a text to the phone. I can't get hold of our speak to anyone at Hotmail to resolve this. Please please can anyone help me? Thanks

3 answers

Your answer

Answer 1

If you are locked out of your Hotmail account and have gone through the security process without success, here are some steps you can take:

Check for Account Lockout: If you have made multiple unsuccessful attempts to sign in, your account may be temporarily locked. Wait for a while and try again later.
Use Security Information: If your global admin has enabled it, you can use your security information to reset your password. This typically involves answering security questions or receiving a verification code via email or SMS.
Contact Support: If you're unable to regain access, you may need to contact Microsoft support for assistance. You can find the appropriate contact at Support for Business Products.
Create a Support Ticket: If you can't sign in to Partner Center, you can create a support ticket without signing in. This might help you get the assistance you need.
Two-Factor Authentication Issues: If you lost access to your two-factor authentication method, you can visit the support page and select the product you need help with.

If you continue to experience issues, it may be beneficial to reach out to Microsoft support directly for further assistance.

Answer 2

Darhyl Amizola 26,635 Independent Advisor

Hey there! Nice to meet you!

If I may ask, have you forgotten your account's password by any chance?

If not, may I have the exact error messages/codes upon signing in?

Do you have access to the security information/verification methods, phone, or email linked to your account?

Also, you mentioned: "but it won't let me use my finger print or send a text to the phone."

May I have the error message upon attempting to perform password reset via SMS phone number?

Do you see any unfamiliar email addresses/phone numbers upon signing in to your account?

Did you have two-factor authentication (2FA) active on the account? If yes, do you still have the 25-character recovery codes?

Best regards,

Darhyl

Arran Armitage 0 Reputation points

2025-11-23T03:28:06.1833333+00:00

Hi. Thank you for replying. There are no error codes. After putting email and password it says your account is at risk and needs verification. We then put in all the relevant information e.g. name DOBs, and email addresses sent to and subject lines. It then sends an email to another account saying that the information was not enough and that you are locked out. However to the best of our knowledge we are putting everything in correctly and have done it numerous times. There is no 2 factor authentication set up on the account. Thanks
Arran Armitage 0 Reputation points

2025-11-23T05:39:54.08+00:00

Hi Darhyl Amizola and thank you for reaching out.

I have answered your questions below for all your points:

If I may ask, have you forgotten your account's password by any chance?

A. No we are sure the password is correct and if you put in the wrong one it says. When we put in the right one, it moves on to verification process.

If not, may I have the exact error messages/codes upon signing in?

A. No error message came up just that we had to verify. It has now said i have tried too many times and it had locked the account for 24 hours

Do you have access to the security information/verification methods, phone, or email linked to your account?

A. No it gives me no option to verify, I send an email to another email address which sends a code but then it still does not let me in. I have to fill in the last email sent, Subject of email and DOBs etc.

Also, you mentioned: "but it won't let me use my finger print or send a text to the phone."

A. It asked for a passkey as another option but when i pushed that option it said there were no pass keys saved on the phone.

May I have the error message upon attempting to perform password reset via SMS phone number?

A. It did not give an option for sms reset.

Do you see any unfamiliar email addresses/phone numbers upon signing in to your account?

A. Not as far as I am aware but this does worry me.

Did you have two-factor authentication (2FA) active on the account? If yes, do you still have the 25-character recovery codes?

A. No. I have added the email that came through from Microsoft

<Mod mask PII>
Arran Armitage 0 Reputation points

2025-11-23T06:44:09.03+00:00

Hi Darhyl Amizola and thank you for reaching out.

I have answered your questions below for all your points:

If I may ask, have you forgotten your account's password by any chance?

A. No we are sure the password is correct and if you put in the wrong one it says. When we put in the right one, it moves on to verification process.

If not, may I have the exact error messages/codes upon signing in?

A. No error message came up just that we had to verify. It has now said i have tried too many times and it had locked the account for 24 hours

Do you have access to the security information/verification methods, phone, or email linked to your account?

A. No it gives me no option to verify, I send an email to another email address which sends a code but then it still does not let me in. I have to fill in the last email sent, Subject of email and DOBs etc.

Also, you mentioned: "but it won't let me use my finger print or send a text to the phone."

A. It asked for a passkey as another option but when i pushed that option it said there were no pass keys saved on the phone.

May I have the error message upon attempting to perform password reset via SMS phone number?

A. It did not give an option for sms reset.

Do you see any unfamiliar email addresses/phone numbers upon signing in to your account?

A. Not as far as I am aware but this does worry me.

Did you have two-factor authentication (2FA) active on the account? If yes, do you still have the 25-character recovery codes?

A. No

Answer 3

Darhyl Amizola 26,635 Independent Advisor

Thank you for the clarification.

Since you do not have an active 2FA and no access to other verification methods, unfortunately, the only way to recover/verify the account is through the account recovery web form: https://account.live.com/acsr

You'll need to keep trying until you're verified by Microsoft, and you can do this up to 2 times every 24 hours.

If your Microsoft account recovery request was not granted, please review this link for tips on improving your chances of a successful recovery: https://support.microsoft.com/office/dc56c3e3-dff0-4ed5-8edb-60290eea6b53

Please be advised that Microsoft Support will not be able to grant you access to your account.

Thank you for your understanding.

Best regards,

Darhyl

Arran Armitage 0 Reputation points

2025-12-11T11:13:45.48+00:00

Hi, I am sorry to say that I am still having no luck. We only have emails up to the 16th that we can see before I was locked out and we are putting in the sent email addresses and subject lines accurately. The account was set up 20 plus years ago maybe in the UK and so I think the number that may be associated to it is a uk one which we no longer have access too. We have done everything as best we can but it still will not accept us, we are logging in from home on the only phone we use for emails. Not sure what else we can do and i an unsure why this has happened now. Is there some other way to get round this because we have run out of email addresses and subject lines to use unless we start going back to earlier in the year? Thanks

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Totally shut out of Hotmail account

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