Acessing account after forgetting password and loss of phone number

Question

Acessing account after forgetting password and loss of phone number

Gabriele 0

Hello,

I am writing with regards to another microsoft account I have, for which I forgot password and the phone number already belongs to another person. However, I still have access to the email address that was used as a username for the microsoft account. Would it be possible to regain access through this email address?

Also, is there any risk that this other person who now owns my previous number, could possibly access the account? As the recovery code is being sent to this number when I try to regain access.

I am asking to regain access as I received emails that my OneDrive storage is full.

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Answer 1

Yes, it is possible to try to regain access using the email address, and yes, there is some risk that the new owner of the old phone number could receive verification codes.

To regain access without the old phone number:

Start the normal sign-in or password reset flow for the Microsoft account.
When asked to verify identity and shown options (old phone, email, etc.), choose I don't have any of these if the phone option is unusable.
Follow the prompts to use the account recovery form instead. Before doing this, review the guidance in Help with the Microsoft account recovery form and then submit the form with as much accurate information as possible about the account (previous passwords, contacts, email subjects, etc.). Microsoft will review and respond, typically within 24 hours.
If you still know the password but just lost access to the old phone number, and you can sign in using another method (for example, a code to your email), then:
- Go to the Advanced security options page.
- Select Add a new way to sign in or verify and add a new email or phone.
- After confirming the new method, remove the old phone number from Security info.

Regarding the risk with the new owner of your old phone number:

If the old number is still listed as security info on the account, any verification code sent by SMS will go to the new owner.
If that person also knows (or guesses) the account password or other required details, they could potentially use those codes to try to access or change the account.
To eliminate this risk, the old phone number must be removed from the account’s security info as soon as access is regained, and a new, trusted method (new phone or email) should be added.

If you do not know the password and cannot use any existing security info, the only supported path in the context is to use the Microsoft account recovery form and follow its guidance.

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