How to regain access to my account

Question

How to regain access to my account

David Uzzell 0

I have corrupted my account and can no longer log in. When I attempt to log in I get the following message:

{

"sessionId": "51d0fb051dbf4ad48723921ac63b31e7",

"errors": [

{

  "errorMessage": "interaction_required: AADSTS160021: Application requested a user session which does not exist. Trace ID: 7bf0e1e2-df39-4df6-8540-a54882820900 Correlation ID: 3f2f63bd-1a35-46dc-9e53-6a124f618341 Timestamp: 2026-01-15 09:30:56Z",

  "clientId": "74658136-14ec-4630-ad9b-26e160ff0fc6",

  "scopes": [

    "16aeb910-ce68-41d1-9ac3-9e1673ac9575/.default"

  ]

}
```  ]

}

When I attempt to log in again I get the following message:

Microsoft

Pick an account

Selected user account does not exist in tenant 'Microsoft Services' and cannot access the application 'PII' in that tenant. The account needs to be added as an external user in the tenant first. Please use a different account.

All of the remedies I have found on the internet require that I first log in to my account, which I cannot do.

I would like help in restoring my account.

Thanks

David Uzzell

Rukmini 43,915 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-01-15T10:06:40.6666667+00:00
Hello David Uzzell,

Based on your description, it appears that you have created a Microsoft personal account, not an Azure work or school account. This is why you’re encountering errors when trying to access the Azure Portal.

Issue: When users try to login to Azure portal using their personal Microsoft Account (Outlook, Hotmail..) they are getting AADSTS160021 or AADSTS16000 or AADSTS50020 errors.

Reason: When signing in to the Azure portal with a personal Microsoft account, you are automatically connected to the Microsoft Services tenant (Tenant ID: f8cdef31-a31e-4b4a-93e4-5f571e91255a).

You can verify this by navigating to Microsoft Entra ID > Overview, where you’ll see this Tenant ID.

This default tenant does not have a directory associated with it, which you can confirm by going to the Settings blade. As a result, you cannot perform administrative actions such as:

Creating users or groups

Registering enterprise applications

Managing resources

In short, it’s a system tenant with restricted capabilities, and administrative access is not granted by default.

Solution: To fully utilize the Azure portal, you need to create your own tenant instead of relying on the Microsoft Services tenant.

Follow these steps:

Open an in-private/incognito browser window (to avoid automatic sign-in via SSO).

Navigate to https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/free/ to sign up for a free Azure account.

During the setup, you’ll be prompted to create a new directory (tenant). Once completed, you will become the Global Administrator of this new tenant, giving you full access to manage Azure resources.

Let me know if you need help with the sign-up process or configuring your new tenant.

If you already have an existing tenant and still unable login, please share your email address over private message which used to login into Azure Portal.
David Uzzell 0 Reputation points

2026-01-15T13:26:42.0566667+00:00

Thank you for your help. I have begun following your instructions and would appreciate more help with the sign-up process.

I have added to an app I have written the ability for users to access their OneDrive. I registed the app an obtained a ClientID, ClientSecret and CallbackURL. Those credentail no longer permit access. I would like now to sign-up for the service(s) that would allow me to either revive my current credentials or obtain new ones. Can you guide me in that process?

Thanks
Rukmini 43,915 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-01-20T10:11:12.8533333+00:00
David Uzzell Since your current Client ID and Client Secret were generated in the Microsoft Services system tenant, which is not a valid Entra ID tenancy, they cannot be restored. Apps registered there cease to function permanently when sessions expire. Re-registering your app and creating a real Azure tenant is the solution.

Visit this link: https://azure.microsoft.com/free Use your Microsoft account to log in.

Finalize the registration process and establish a new directory (tenant).

You automatically become Global Admin.
Rukmini 43,915 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-01-22T09:45:24.0833333+00:00

David Uzzell Following up to see if the above provided information was helpful. If you have any further queries do let us know.

Your answer

David Uzzell 0 Reputation points

2026-01-15T13:26:42.0566667+00:00

Thank you for your help. I have begun following your instructions and would appreciate more help with the sign-up process.

I have added to an app I have written the ability for users to access their OneDrive. I registed the app an obtained a ClientID, ClientSecret and CallbackURL. Those credentail no longer permit access. I would like now to sign-up for the service(s) that would allow me to either revive my current credentials or obtain new ones. Can you guide me in that process?

Thanks
Rukmini 43,915 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-01-20T10:11:12.8533333+00:00

David Uzzell Since your current Client ID and Client Secret were generated in the Microsoft Services system tenant, which is not a valid Entra ID tenancy, they cannot be restored. Apps registered there cease to function permanently when sessions expire. Re-registering your app and creating a real Azure tenant is the solution.

Visit this link: https://azure.microsoft.com/free Use your Microsoft account to log in.

Finalize the registration process and establish a new directory (tenant).

You automatically become Global Admin.
Rukmini 43,915 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-01-22T09:45:24.0833333+00:00

David Uzzell Following up to see if the above provided information was helpful. If you have any further queries do let us know.