Account error when signing in , emails are not coming through, help if possible

tommy miller 0 Reputation points
2026-03-02T14:04:57.5533333+00:00

Got an email from Microsoft saying my account may have been hacked

I have reset my password but keeps saying account error

Outlook | Web | Outlook.com | Account management, security, and privacy

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  1. AI answer

    2026-03-02T14:05:15.3133333+00:00

    Follow these steps in order:

    1. Secure the account
    • Go to the Security basics page and sign in with the new password.
    • Select Review activity and check the Recent activity and Unusual activity sections. For any sign-in that is not recognized, expand it and choose This wasn’t me or Secure your account so Microsoft can help lock out the attacker.
    • Still on Security basics, select Change password and set a new, strong password that has not been used before.
    1. Confirm the account is still valid
    • If any sign-in page or app shows messages like “We couldn’t find an account with that username” or “account doesn’t exist”, use the Sign-in Helper tool or the Recover your account flow described in the next step.
    1. Run the account recovery flow if sign-in keeps failing
    • If the username and password are correct but sign-in still fails, use the Recover your account page: Recover your account.
      • Enter the email address, phone number, or Skype name.
      • Make sure the domain and spelling are correct (for example, .com vs .co.uk, and name spelling such as rachel vs rachael).
      • If one alias is not recognized, try another alias or phone number that was ever added to the account.
      • Follow the prompts to receive and enter a security code, then set a new password.
    • If you still see “We couldn’t find an account with that username” after this, use the Contact support option on that page to reach a support advocate and explain that the username has stopped working.
    1. Check for hacked-account changes once signed in
    • If sign-in succeeds but email is not coming through, treat the account as compromised:
      • Follow the steps in How to recover a hacked or compromised Microsoft account:
        • First, run a full antivirus scan on every device used with this account.
        • Then change the password again using change your password.
        • Check Outlook settings for:
          • Suspicious inbox rules (for example, rules that move or delete mail automatically).
          • Any unknown forwarding addresses.
          • Automatic replies that were not set.
      • Also review connected accounts, forwarding, and automatic replies using the links in the hacked-account article and remove anything not recognized.
    1. Verify email delivery
    • After cleaning the account:
      • Send a test email to the address from a different account and confirm it arrives.
      • If messages still do not appear, re-check rules and forwarding, and confirm the account is not over its storage quota (if the mailbox is full, new mail will not arrive).
    1. Inform contacts and monitor
    • Inform important contacts (from another email or channel) that the account may have been hacked so they can ignore suspicious messages.
    • Periodically check the Recent activity page to ensure there are no new unusual sign-ins.

    If any step fails (for example, recovery keeps failing or the account is reported as non-existent), use the Sign-in Helper or Contact support options in the recovery pages to escalate.


    References:

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