How to access a Microsoft account and/or Onedrive account when all options to do so and use back up resources have failed

Subject: Help required to regain access to Lea’s Microsoft account and simplify her sign-in and recovery details

I am contacting Microsoft through my own Microsoft account, [Moderator Note: Personal Info Removed]@skibuff.com, on behalf of my friend Lea, whom I am assisting with her computer and OneDrive setup. Lea has authorised me to help her.

Lea had not previously used OneDrive. I recently helped her create and set up a Microsoft/OneDrive account so that her Documents and Pictures could be backed up automatically.

We were able to establish the OneDrive account, but problems arose because Microsoft appears to have treated Lea’s mobile phone number as an account sign-in identity, rather than simply as a security or recovery method. We had expected her email address to be the main and consistent sign-in name.

During several sign-in and recovery attempts, different account details and recovery methods appeared, including:

• Lea’s email address;
• Lea’s mobile phone number;
• an old landline number that cannot receive text messages;
• her husband’s Gmail address, for which we do not know the password;
• my own email address, which Microsoft allowed us to use temporarily during the account-recovery process;
• and other recovery or backup details that either did not work or were no longer usable.

The result is that we are now effectively locked out of Lea’s Microsoft account or cannot access it reliably.

The sequence of events has been as follows:

1. I recently helped Lea create and set up her Microsoft and OneDrive account. She had not previously used OneDrive.
2. The intention was to use one email address as her normal Microsoft sign-in and then set up automatic OneDrive backup of her Documents and Pictures.
3. At some point during setup or verification, Microsoft used Lea’s mobile phone number as a sign-in identity. We did not realise that the phone number was being treated as an alternative account sign-in rather than simply as a recovery number.
4. This led to confusion over whether we were signing into the same Microsoft account by email address or by mobile phone number. Errors occurred during these attempts, and we now appear to be locked out or unable to reach the account consistently.
5. Microsoft also repeatedly offered an old landline number as a verification destination. That number cannot receive text messages and is therefore unusable for Microsoft security codes.
6. Another recovery option shown was Lea’s husband’s Gmail address. We do not know the password for that Gmail account, so it cannot presently be used to receive or retrieve recovery messages.
7. Microsoft allowed us to use my email address as a temporary contact address during account-recovery attempts.
8. Using my email address, we submitted Microsoft’s account-recovery form several times and supplied all the information available to us.
9. Each recovery attempt was rejected because Microsoft said that we had not provided enough information to verify ownership of the account.
10. We had no additional information to provide and became caught in a loop: the normal verification methods did not work, while the recovery form continued to reject the information we did have.
11. On one occasion, a Microsoft recovery email sent to my address did not appear in my Inbox and was eventually found in the Bin or Trash folder.
12. We were able at one stage to get further into the account after a code was sent by email, but this did not permanently resolve the access problem or clean up the account’s sign-in and recovery details.
13. I have since learned of two old passwords that may possibly have been used with Lea’s account. They may help with another recovery application, but we do not know whether they are correct or relevant, and we have not yet repeated the recovery process using them.

Our main objectives are:

1. Regain reliable access to Lea’s existing Microsoft account.
2. Identify exactly which email address and mobile phone number belong to that account.
3. Establish one clear and consistent primary sign-in, preferably Lea’s email address.
4. Add Lea’s current mobile phone number as a verified security and recovery method.
5. Add one other reliable backup method, such as a second email address, if Microsoft recommends this.
6. Remove the obsolete landline.
7. Remove or replace Lea’s husband’s inaccessible Gmail address.
8. Remove any duplicate, incorrect or confusing sign-in identities and recovery methods.
9. Ensure that Lea is left with one normal sign-in and only one or two reliable backup methods for support and account recovery.
10. Complete the automatic OneDrive backup of her Documents and Pictures.

We do not want to create another Microsoft account. We want Microsoft’s help to regain access to Lea’s existing account and then clean up and simplify its sign-in and security information.

Could Microsoft Support please assist us in identifying the correct account, restoring access, and correcting the sign-in aliases and recovery methods attached to it?

For security, I will provide Lea’s account email address, mobile number and other identifying details only when requested through the appropriate Microsoft support process.Subject: Help required to regain access to Lea’s Microsoft account and simplify her sign-in and recovery details

I am contacting Microsoft through my own Microsoft account, [Moderator Note: Personal Info Removed]@skibuff.com, on behalf of my friend Lea, whom I am assisting with her computer and OneDrive setup. Lea has authorised me to help her.

Lea had not previously used OneDrive. I recently helped her create and set up a Microsoft/OneDrive account so that her Documents and Pictures could be backed up automatically.

We were able to establish the OneDrive account, but problems arose because Microsoft appears to have treated Lea’s mobile phone number as an account sign-in identity, rather than simply as a security or recovery method. We had expected her email address to be the main and consistent sign-in name.

During several sign-in and recovery attempts, different account details and recovery methods appeared, including:

• Lea’s email address;
• Lea’s mobile phone number;
• an old landline number that cannot receive text messages;
• her husband’s Gmail address, for which we do not know the password;
• my own email address, which Microsoft allowed us to use temporarily during the account-recovery process;
• and other recovery or backup details that either did not work or were no longer usable.

The result is that we are now effectively locked out of Lea’s Microsoft account or cannot access it reliably.

The sequence of events has been as follows:

1. I recently helped Lea create and set up her Microsoft and OneDrive account. She had not previously used OneDrive.
2. The intention was to use one email address as her normal Microsoft sign-in and then set up automatic OneDrive backup of her Documents and Pictures.
3. At some point during setup or verification, Microsoft used Lea’s mobile phone number as a sign-in identity. We did not realise that the phone number was being treated as an alternative account sign-in rather than simply as a recovery number.
4. This led to confusion over whether we were signing into the same Microsoft account by email address or by mobile phone number. Errors occurred during these attempts, and we now appear to be locked out or unable to reach the account consistently.
5. Microsoft also repeatedly offered an old landline number as a verification destination. That number cannot receive text messages and is therefore unusable for Microsoft security codes.
6. Another recovery option shown was Lea’s husband’s Gmail address. We do not know the password for that Gmail account, so it cannot presently be used to receive or retrieve recovery messages.
7. Microsoft allowed us to use my email address as a temporary contact address during account-recovery attempts.
8. Using my email address, we submitted Microsoft’s account-recovery form several times and supplied all the information available to us.
9. Each recovery attempt was rejected because Microsoft said that we had not provided enough information to verify ownership of the account.
10. We had no additional information to provide and became caught in a loop: the normal verification methods did not work, while the recovery form continued to reject the information we did have.
11. On one occasion, a Microsoft recovery email sent to my address did not appear in my Inbox and was eventually found in the Bin or Trash folder.
12. We were able at one stage to get further into the account after a code was sent by email, but this did not permanently resolve the access problem or clean up the account’s sign-in and recovery details.
13. I have since learned of two old passwords that may possibly have been used with Lea’s account. They may help with another recovery application, but we do not know whether they are correct or relevant, and we have not yet repeated the recovery process using them.

Our main objectives are:

1. Regain reliable access to Lea’s existing Microsoft account.
2. Identify exactly which email address and mobile phone number belong to that account.
3. Establish one clear and consistent primary sign-in, preferably Lea’s email address.
4. Add Lea’s current mobile phone number as a verified security and recovery method.
5. Add one other reliable backup method, such as a second email address, if Microsoft recommends this.
6. Remove the obsolete landline.
7. Remove or replace Lea’s husband’s inaccessible Gmail address.
8. Remove any duplicate, incorrect or confusing sign-in identities and recovery methods.
9. Ensure that Lea is left with one normal sign-in and only one or two reliable backup methods for support and account recovery.
10. Complete the automatic OneDrive backup of her Documents and Pictures.

We do not want to create another Microsoft account. We want Microsoft’s help to regain access to Lea’s existing account and then clean up and simplify its sign-in and security information.

Could Microsoft Support please assist us in identifying the correct account, restoring access, and correcting the sign-in aliases and recovery methods attached to it?

For security, I will provide Lea’s account email address, mobile number and other identifying details only when requested through the appropriate Microsoft support process.

Moved to Microsoft Security | Microsoft Authenticator