Need help regaining access to my Azure test account (Locked out by MFA / Sole Admin)

Thomas Kim 0 Reputation points
2026-09-02T03:49:42.42+00:00

Hi everyone,

A while ago, I created an Azure free account for studying, which set up a work/school tenant (xxxxxx.onmicrosoft.com) associated with my personal account.

When setting up the account, I configured a passkey on a phone that I no longer own. Because the passkey is tied to that old device, I am completely locked out and unable to sign in. Since this was created solely for personal study, I am the only user and Global Admin on the account.

Is there a way for support to reset my profile/MFA settings so I can register a new authentication method and sign in? Alternatively, if updating the credentials is too difficult, is there a way to completely delete the entire Azure tenant so I can start fresh later?

Note: My personal Outlook account is also linked to an Microsoft 365 Family subscription that I share with my children, so any actions taken on this Azure tenant must not affect my M365 Family account or licenses.

Thanks in advance for your help!

Microsoft 365 and Office | Subscription, account, billing | For business | Windows
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  1. Darren Bruce 1,315 Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2026-09-02T04:17:00.2+00:00

    Dear @Thomas Kim,

    Based on your description, your situation is a known tenant lockout scenario in Microsoft Entra ID (Azure AD): you're the only Global Administrator, and the only MFA/passkey registered to that admin account is no longer available. In that case, there is no self-service method to reset MFA because there is no other administrator who can perform the reset.

    If you're completely locked out, you generally cannot delete the tenant yourself, because tenant deletion requires administrative access. The recovery process would typically need to happen first. Once access is restored, you could then decide whether to delete the tenant or continue using it.

    You might need to contact Microsoft Support team via phone service number: Customer service phone numbers - Microsoft Support. The agent will be able to create a ticket for you under the affected tenant and then transfer this ticket to Data Protection team who could help you to regain access.   

    To help you navigate the automated phone system (IVR), here's an example of what the conversation might look like:

    IVR: What kind of problem are you worried about?

    You: Admin account locked

    IVR: What kind of product do you use?

    You: Office 365 for business

    IVR: Does it count for education or business?

    You: For Business

    IVR: Are you an admin?

    You: Yes

    IVR: Do you have another administrator in your organization?

    You: No

    IVR: Need a service request?

    You: Yes

    This should help you connect with a live support agent who can help you directly.

    If you can't create a support ticket during the call, I recommend creating a temporary tenant account and submitting the support request from there. To create a new tenant, follow these steps:

    1. Visit Office 365 E3 - Enterprise Collaboration and Productivity | Microsoft    
    2. Select any plan and click Try for free.    
    3. Complete the setup to create a new tenant.    
    4. Ticket support: In the Microsoft 365 admin center>support>help & support. You can create a support ticket: https://admin.microsoft.com/#/support/requests     

    Important: Please remember to cancel the trial subscription once your issue is resolved to avoid any charges.

    I understand that this issue may take some time to resolve and could impact your workflow. However, the following solutions have been effective in resolving Microsoft Authenticator issues.

    Regarding to your second questions, your Azure/Entra tenant is separate from your consumer Microsoft account and Microsoft 365 Family subscription. Recovering access to, or even deleting, the Azure tenant should not affect your family subscription licenses, provided those licenses are attached to your personal Microsoft account and not to the Entra tenant

    I hope information above meet your expectations, if you have any other questions, please feel free to reach out.


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