I can't sign in to Hotmail or any part of Microsoft.

Question

I can't sign in to Hotmail or any part of Microsoft.

Steve 25

Hi Guys

For about the last four weeks or so signing into my Hotmail account on my desktop (or any part of Microsoft for that matter) has been a pain. I click on the password and get the message "Password sign-in isn't available. Try another method" What other method? It would be helpful if Try another method was a link to another method instead of just a statement.

So I go to support and find the sign in helper, type in my email address and no problems can be found. Then a dropdown menu appears and I have to choose whichever is my problem. Unfortunately none of them are. I've changed the password twice but the problem still exists. When this started to happen I did read that a preview update was the problem and deleting it would fix it. I can't remember which update it was but deleting it made no difference (I have since reinstalled the update) I also read that 2FA could be the problem but I haven't turned that off. The desktop that I use is a trusted device so I don't need 2FA to sign in. It is also the only device I use to sign in to Hotmail. There have been no failed log in attempts on the recent activity page so I don't think someone is trying to get into my Microsoft account. Today I couldn't sign in until around 8pm. My Hotmail might be available for a couple of days and then It happens again. Can anyone help me find a fix for this problem? I've been using this email address for about 20 years (with no problems) and I don't really want to create a new account and have to change my email address on loads of websites, but if I have to it probably won't be with a Microsoft address. I did get a reply from Microsoft Support yesterday but they found nothing wrong. I just seem to be going round in circles trying to find a remedy.

Moved to Windows for home | Windows 11 | Accounts, profiles, and login

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Answer 1

Chloe-V 12,710 Microsoft External Staff Moderator

Hi Steve

I’m sorry you’ve been experiencing this intermittent sign-in issue for several weeks, especially after changing your password and using the Sign-in Helper without finding a problem.

Since the message appears only on your desktop, it may be related to stored browser sign-in data rather than the password itself. Please try signing in through an InPrivate or Incognito window. If it works there, clear the cookies and cached files in your usual browser, close the browser completely, and try again.

If the issue continues, please test with another browser and, if possible, another network, such as a mobile hotspot. This will help determine whether the issue is specific to the browser, device, or network. You do not need to disable two-step verification at this stage.

If the same message appears across different browsers and networks, please contact Microsoft Support again:

Go to Contact Us: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/contactus
Click Show expanded list of products
Select Outlook > Get Home support
Type Outlook live chat in the search box, then select Get Help > Contact Support
If you can’t sign in to the affected account, sign in with a different Microsoft account to access support options
Under Products & Services, select Other Products > Outlook, then choose Chat with a support agent via web browser

Please note that this is a user-to-user support forum. Moderators, contributors including external Microsoft employees cannot directly intervene in Microsoft product features or access back-end systems. Our role is limited to providing technical guidance on reported issues, requests, or ideas only.

Thank you for your understanding.

Note: Please follow the steps in our documentation to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread.

Steve 25 Reputation points

2026-08-12T11:43:19.9866667+00:00

Hi Chloe,

Thanks for the quick reply.

At the moment it's working OK but I reckon I'll be locked out by tomorrow.

If (or should I say when) it happens I will try an incognito / Inprivate window and hope it works.

Thanks again for the advice.

Regards,
Chloe-V 12,710 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-08-13T07:07:30.8433333+00:00

Hi Steve

Thank you for the update. I’m glad to hear that you can currently access your account.

If the issue occurs again, please try signing in through an InPrivate or Incognito window first. If that works, it would suggest that stored browser data may be contributing to the issue. You can then clear the cookies and cached files in your regular browser before trying again.

If possible, please let me know whether the InPrivate window works and which browser you are using. This will help narrow down the cause without asking you to repeat the steps you have already tried.
Steve 25 Reputation points

2026-08-17T14:12:26.0466667+00:00

Hi Chloe,

All was going well until today when I couldn't sign in to Hotmail.

I did as you instructed and a private window worked. So I cleared the cache and I was able to sign in OK.

Thanks for your help. Hopefully it won't happen again, but if it does I know what to do.

I did click accept this answer but it didn't seem to finish. I'll try again when I've finished this message

Thanks again and Regards.
Chloe-V 12,710 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-08-17T23:22:58.75+00:00

Hi Steve

Thank you for the update. I'm glad to hear that clearing the cache resolved the sign-in issue and that you can now access your Hotmail account normally.

Thank you for taking the time to report back and for trying to mark the answer as accepted. If the issue returns or if you have any other questions in the future, please feel free to create a new post and the community will be happy to assist.

Have a great day!