Previous Admin no longer employed with us and now we have no Admin.

Robert Houk 20 Reputation points
2026-06-03T18:27:43.2233333+00:00

Hello Everyone,

I am the IT Manager for a [Moderator note: Personally Identifiable Information removed] school named [Moderator note: Personally Identifiable Information removed]. I am attempting to gain Admin access because a previous IT Admin who has not worked here in over 6 years is still recognized as an the organizational Admin as per Microsoft. How do I change this? I have access to the previous employees work email. However, due to MFA setup with Microsoft, I am unable to access login to Microsoft with his account. I attempted to register our school as an Educational institution on Microsoft's site but was told my email address already belongs to another organization. I am the I.T. Manager and have no privileges. This is very frustrating. Any help or guidance would be very much appreciated. Thanks.

[Moderator note: Personally Identifiable Information removed]

Microsoft 365 and Office | Subscription, account, billing | For business | Other
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Answer accepted by question author
Ruby-N 13,325 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
2026-06-03T20:18:18.7233333+00:00

Good day @Robert Houk,  

Thank you for taking the time to share your experience. 

Just to gently clarify before we go any further, I’m not able to modify or recover user accounts; due to security and privacy requirements, issues like sign-in failures, password recovery, and multi-factor authentication must be handled by Microsoft Data Protection team, who have the proper tools and authorization to manage account-level settings securely. However, I truly hope I can help review your situation, provide guidance, and support you in identifying the best possible next steps. 

To protect your organization’s security, the information you provided has been moved to a Private Message. 

I’ve gone through your description, and I’m sorry to hear about the difficulty you are experiencing when trying to access the old admin account due to issues with the Microsoft Authenticator app and your account doesn't have admin permissions. 

I need to gather some information about your organization in order to better assist you. For account security purposes, please check your Private Messages. I’ve sent you a secure note there so we can continue the support process safely and more efficiently. 

Private Messages can be viewed or sent by signing in to the Q&A forum with the account that created this thread, then selecting Private messages. 

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Thank you for your patience and understanding.  

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  1. Robert Houk 20 Reputation points
    2026-06-03T18:33:02.1+00:00

    To change the Microsoft 365 admin when the previous global admin has left and no one in the organization has admin access, tenant access recovery is required through Microsoft’s identity verification process. Follow these steps: Confirm the correct account and tenant Go to the Microsoft 365 admin portal: https://admin.microsoft.com Try signing in with any school-related email accounts that might have been used as admin. If prompted to request admin access, follow the on-screen steps.

    I attempted "Step 1" of the AI answer and could not do to the following response upon accessing https://admin.microsoft.com/. Switch to an account that has permission

    Your account ([Moderator note: Personally Identifiable Information removed]) doesn’t have permission to view or manage this page in the Microsoft 365 Admin center

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  2. AI answer

    2026-06-03T18:28:14.94+00:00

    To change the Microsoft 365 admin when the previous global admin has left and no one in the organization has admin access, tenant access recovery is required through Microsoft’s identity verification process.

    Follow these steps:

    1. Confirm the correct account and tenant
      • Go to the Microsoft 365 admin portal: https://admin.microsoft.com
      • Try signing in with any school-related email accounts that might have been used as admin.
      • If prompted to request admin access, follow the on-screen steps.
    2. Start tenant access recovery with Microsoft 365 support
      • Go to the Microsoft 365 support page: https://support.microsoft.com/office
      • Choose the option related to sign-in issues, such as I can't sign in or access my tenant.
      • Submit a support request explaining:
        • The school name (Pee Dee Math, Science and Technology Academy).
        • That the only known global admin (former IT admin) left over 6 years ago.
        • That no one currently has global admin access and MFA prevents using the old account.
        • That the domain and tenant belong to the school and you are the current IT manager.
    3. Prepare identity and ownership documentation Microsoft may require proof that the school owns the tenant and domain. Be prepared with:
      • Official school documentation (lettershead, registration documents, etc.).
      • Proof of domain ownership (DNS records, registrar account screenshots, etc.).
      • Publicly listed information showing the school’s registration and contact details.
    4. Work with Microsoft’s Data Protection / tenant recovery team
      • All tenant ownership and access decisions are handled through Microsoft 365 support.
      • Microsoft for Education/Nonprofits or general support cannot bypass identity verification or directly assign admin rights; they escalate to the appropriate internal team once documentation is validated.
    5. If a partner or reseller manages the tenant
      • If a Microsoft partner originally set up the tenant, contact that partner and ask them to open a support request on the school’s behalf to recover admin access.

    Once Microsoft verifies the school’s ownership of the tenant, they will guide through regaining or reassigning global admin access. Only after that can a new global admin account be created and MFA reset for the old admin account or replaced entirely.

    References:

    AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

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