A cloud-based identity and access management service for securing user authentication and resource access
Because the tenant was offboarded from PIM when the Microsoft Entra ID P2 licenses expired and there’s now no way to activate privileged roles, recovery requires direct Microsoft support intervention rather than a self-service fix.
The supported path to regain access in a lockout scenario where no admin can elevate or manage roles is to open a support ticket and have the Microsoft Data Protection team restore access to an administrator account for the tenant. They have specific tools and processes to verify identity and re-enable admin access when:
- There is effectively no working global admin or privileged role available, and
- License or MFA/role issues prevent self-service recovery.
If there is truly no other account with permanent Global Administrator or equivalent rights that can still sign in and manage roles, proceed as follows:
- Contact Microsoft support by phone and request a service ticket for a tenant lockout / admin access recovery scenario. Use the global customer service phone numbers listed under support.
- Clearly state that:
- The tenant was offboarded from PIM due to license expiration.
- All administrative access was dependent on PIM-eligible roles.
- After license renewal, PIM options are gone and no admin functions are available.
- There is no other working global admin in the tenant.
- Work with the Data Protection team to verify ownership of the tenant and have them:
- Restore or assign a Global Administrator (or equivalent) role to a specified account, or
- Re-enable access in a way that allows reconfiguration of PIM and roles.
If the tenant is associated with a partner/reseller and direct ticket creation is blocked, ask the partner to open a support request on behalf of the organization.
Once access is restored, reconfigure PIM and ensure that at least one break-glass admin account has a permanent Global Administrator assignment that does not depend on PIM or expiring licenses.
References:
- Discover your Microsoft cloud footprint FAQ
- I have a Micrsoft business account and I am the admin and the only user registered under this account. I can't log in because i have replaced my phone and the authenticator doesn't work. - Microsoft Q&A
- Severity A Situation - Locked out of global admin account (MFA) - business down - Microsoft Q&A
- Microsoft Entra ID Governance licensing fundamentals
- Microsoft Entra licensing