I can't sign in to our email account. They are sending a code to an email address that has changed so I am not getting the codes. I have not been able to sign in to our account for over a week now.

Question

I can't sign in to our email account. They are sending a code to an email address that has changed so I am not getting the codes. I have not been able to sign in to our account for over a week now.

St. Joseph's Parish 20

I cannot access my email account. The email address they are sending the code to is not the email address anymore. It has changed and it was not changed on our account. Therefore I have been without email for the last week. I have looked to reset my password and it keeps telling me I am not providing enough information. I really need to get this sorted out. It is interfering with my job,

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Answer accepted by question author

Killian N 3,820 Independent Advisor

Hi,

The correct recovery process depends on whether this is a personal Microsoft account or a Microsoft 365 business account.

Could you confirm the following, without posting your full email address or any other personal information publicly?

Does the address end ******@outlook.com, @hotmail.com, @live.com, or @msn.com?
Or does it use your organization’s own domain, such as ******@yourorganization.org?
If it is a business account, are you the Microsoft 365 administrator, and is there another administrator in the organization?

If this is a personal Microsoft account, you can use the https://aka.ms/sign-in-helper and enter the affected email address. If you no longer have access to the verification email shown, select I don’t have any of these when available and follow the recovery instructions.

Since the recovery form previously reported insufficient information, review the account recovery form guidance before trying again. Complete the form from a device and location previously used with the account, and provide as much accurate information as possible, including recent contacts, email subject lines, old passwords, and Microsoft purchases. You may retry the recovery form up to twice per day.

For security reasons, forum members and support agents cannot manually change the recovery address, send a reset link, or bypass identity verification.

If this is a Microsoft 365 business account, you can contact a Microsoft 365 administrator in your organization. That administrator can reset your password and authentication methods. If you are the only administrator and are locked out, please tell me so I can provide the appropriate business-account recovery guidance. Work or school account recovery is managed by the organization rather than through the personal Microsoft account recovery form.

I hope this helps clarify the situation and move things forward. Please feel free to share any updates or let me know if you need further assistance. I’ll be glad to help.

Kind regards,

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St. Joseph's Parish 20 Reputation points

2026-09-01T13:38:46.5633333+00:00

Yes it is a business account. And I am still locked out. We do not have an administrator at my organization. We are a non-profit church.
St. Joseph's Parish 20 Reputation points

2026-09-01T13:42:22.1866667+00:00

I should say that I am the only administrator here. I am the secretary here at the office. I deal with all the emails that we receive. My parish priest is the office administrator but he doesn't deal with the email account. They put his email address down but he changed it and but didn't change the email address with Microsoft.
Killian N 3,820 Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-09-01T17:37:10.7566667+00:00
Hi,

Based on the information provided, the only way to regain access is contact Microsoft support. Please try locating the appropriate hotline for your region here: Customer service phone numbers - Microsoft Support

In this situation, the Microsoft Data Protection team has tools and processes in place to verify identity and regain access to administrator accounts.

Here are some tips and an example of a prompt to help you navigate the IVR 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.)

In some regions, the initial interaction may be automated, so here’s a general idea of how the conversation might go to help you prepare:

What kind of problem are you experiencing?

Answer: Authenticator

What products do you use?

Answer: Office 365 for business

Is this for an education or company account?

Answer: For companies

Are you an administrator?

Answer: Yes

Are there any other administrators in your organization?

Answer: No. I am the only admin in my tenant

Do you need a... Service request?

Answer: Yes. I need to create a ticket. Please send me direct to the Data Protection Teams.

During the phone call, you will need to provide the information associated with your subscription, such as your company name, billing details, phone number, and an alternate email address, etc. This information allows the Data Protection team to verify your identity and securely assist you in regaining access to your administrator account.

I know being locked out of the only admin account can be stressful, but contacting the Data Protection team is the correct path forward in this scenario. I hope these steps help you create a support ticket successfully and move closer to regaining access to your administrator account.

Hope you're able to get this resolved soon.

Kind regards,

1 additional answer

Your answer

St. Joseph's Parish 20 Reputation points

2026-09-01T13:38:46.5633333+00:00

Yes it is a business account. And I am still locked out. We do not have an administrator at my organization. We are a non-profit church.
St. Joseph's Parish 20 Reputation points

2026-09-01T13:42:22.1866667+00:00

I should say that I am the only administrator here. I am the secretary here at the office. I deal with all the emails that we receive. My parish priest is the office administrator but he doesn't deal with the email account. They put his email address down but he changed it and but didn't change the email address with Microsoft.

Answer 1

Claude Butt 0

I have tried to do what you said and I can't get anywhere with them. They keep telling me to go to

aka.ms/pwr

This is not working for the past three days. They are experiencing difficulties. I would like to talk to a human being for once. I thought we had a business account and I was told that it is a personal account and the gentleman couldn't help me. I am so frustrated with Microsoft. I know that I have lots of emails and I cannot access any of them. This morning I tried to call Microsoft again and all I got was the AI saying that go to the above address for password change and then hung up.

Stefan Blom 351.1K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator

2026-09-07T19:43:09.3666667+00:00

[---] They keep telling me to go to

aka.ms/pwr

This is not working for the past three days. They are experiencing difficulties. I would like to talk to a human being for once. I thought we had a business account and I was told that it is a personal account and the gentleman couldn't help me.

Claude,

Please start your own thread and include the specifics of your system. Use the Ask a question option. Good luck.