Microsoft 365 for Business - can't log in to cancel

Hi Jennifer,

I’m sorry to hear about the difficulty you’ve experienced trying to access and cancel your Microsoft 365 Apps for Business subscription. I appreciate the troubleshooting steps you have already completed and understand the challenges you are facing with locating and managing the subscription. 

Just to gently clarify before we go any further, forum moderators do not have the ability to access, modify, or recover user accounts. Due to security and privacy requirements, issues such as sign in failures, password recovery, and multi factor authentication can only be addressed by Microsoft’s dedicated support teams, who have the appropriate tools and authorization to manage account level settings securely. 

Based on the details you shared, the personal email may have been used only as the billing/contact email, but the actual subscription would still be managed through the Microsoft 365 business tenant and its admin account. 

This would explain why the subscription does not appear under Services & subscriptions when you sign in with your personal Microsoft account, and why the work account you tested may not show the subscription if it does not have admin or billing permissions. 

To help identify the correct tenant or original admin account, please try the following: 

1/ Search your email inbox for the original setup or confirmation email 

When your Microsoft 365 subscription was first activated, Microsoft usually sent a welcome or confirmation email to the billing email address used at purchase. This message may contain important details such as: 

• Your initial admin username 
• Your tenant domain, for example: xxxx.onmicrosoft.com 
• Subscription or billing information 

Please search the inbox of your personal email account using keywords such as: 

• Microsoft 
• Microsoft 365 
• Office 365 
• onmicrosoft.com 
• Welcome 
• Your account 

Also, please check your Spam, Junk, Promotions, or Other folders, as system-generated emails can sometimes be filtered there. 

You may also refer to Microsoft’s support article: I forgot the account I use with Microsoft 365 | Microsoft Support 

Finding any email that references your tenant domain or admin account will make it much faster to recover access and proceed with cancelling the billing. 

2/ Contact Microsoft Data Protection Support by phone 

If you are unable to locate the original admin account or tenant details, the next step would be to contact the Data Protection team for assistance with tenant recovery. Once you regain access to the tenant, you should be able to cancel the subscription from the Microsoft 365 admin center. You can start by calling your regional Microsoft support hotline here: Customer service phone numbers - Microsoft Support    (Work account)

When reaching out to the Data Protection team, please be prepared to provide any requested information, such as: 

• Tenant name/domain 
• Affected administrator account 
• Microsoft 365 subscription details 
• Proof of tenant/domain ownership, if required 
• Billing or subscription-related verification information 
• Any organizational documents requested by the recovery team 

Kindly note that, due to the sensitive nature of Global Administrator privileges, Microsoft must complete the required ownership verification before any MFA reset or tenant recovery action can be performed. 

Here are some tips and an example of a prompt to help you reach out the Microsoft Data Protection team support more effectively:   

(When you call the support number, you may hear an introduction of about 30 seconds such as "you can visit the link...". You can ignore this introduction and wait until you are presented with the options. Then press "1" as a business email user, and again "1" for technical help.)         

IVR: What kind of problem are you concerned about?        

You: Tenant lockout.        

IVR: What kind of product do you use?        

You: Office 365 for business.        

IVR confirmation: education or company account?        

You: For companies        

IVR: Are you an administrator?        

You: Yes.        

IVR: Do you have another administrator in your organization?        

You: No.        

IVR: Do you need a... Service request? 

You: Yes. I need to create a ticket. Please send me directly to the Data Protection Team. 

Alternative method: Create a new tenant to submit a support ticket 

If you cannot reach a live agent, there is still a workaround, you might consider registering for a new tenant by signing up for a trial subscription and submit your request from there.      

To set up a new tenant, please follow these steps below: 

Visit Microsoft 365 Business Plans and Pricing | Microsoft 365. This would allow you to create a new tenant following the prompts provided. Once set up, you can access the admin console of the new tenant and submit a support ticket requesting to speak with the Data Protection team on behalf of your previous tenant.       

Follow the guided setup process to create a new account for a new tenant.   

Once your tenant is created, you should be able to access the support portal and submit your ticket referencing your locked account without further issues 

In your ticket description, you'll need to clearly explain that you're trying to regain access to your previous Microsoft 365 tenant and need help from the Data Protection team. Here's a message you can use or adapt:   

"Hello, I am unable to access the original Microsoft 365 business tenant associated with my Microsoft 365 Apps for Business subscription purchased in 2021. 

Billing and subscription emails are sent to my personal email address, but the subscription does not appear under my personal Microsoft account. My work account also does not show the subscription and does not have admin or billing permissions. I have already tried account recovery, Microsoft Sign-in Helper, different browsers/incognito windows, and multiple possible tenant usernames, but the tenant is now reported as not recognized. 

I am the only administrator and need help recovering access to the original tenant so I can cancel the subscription. 

Please escalate this request to the Microsoft Data Protection team to verify my tenant/subscription ownership and assist with tenant recovery. I can provide billing emails, invoices, payment details, possible tenant names, or any other required verification documents."   

Ticket Support: In the Microsoft 365 Admin Center > Support > Help & Support. You can raise support ticket at https://admin.microsoft.com/#/support/requests     

Please remember to cancel the trial subscription after your issue is resolved, as this will help you avoid any accidental billing. You may prefer the following resource for detailed instructions: Cancel your Microsoft business subscription in the Microsoft 365 admin center | Microsoft Learn 

I truly hope this helps you regain access to your account quickly. Even though I can't directly intervene, directing you to the correct and specialized support is the most effective help I can provide from my position.  
If you find my post helpful, kindly consider marking it as 'Yes'. Doing so can assist others in the community who may have similar questions in finding solutions more quickly.  
Thank you for your kindness and contributions to the forum.  

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