FIX A RESTRICTED ACCOUNT

Question

FIX A RESTRICTED ACCOUNT

Sue Bennett 0

MY HOTMAIL ACCOUNT WAS HACKED A WEEK AGO. SEVERAL EMAILS WERE SENT FROM MY ACCOUNT BY A HACKER.

SINCE THAT TIME I AM ONLY RECEIVING JUNK MAIL. I AM NOT ABLE TO SEND OR RECEIVE NORMAL EMAIL.

I HAVE TRIED TO FIX THIS PROBLEM BY TELEPHONE WHICH DEFAULTS TO ONLINE AUTOMATED SUPPORT.

THE ONLINE AUTOMATED SUPPORT HAS NOT FIXED THE ISSUE.

THE 365 AI STORE ASSISTANT HAS ADVISED THAT I HAVE A RESTRICTED ACCOUNT. BASED ON THE SYMPTOMS DESCRIBED. I HAVE PLENTY OF ACCOUNT STORAGE.

I NEED HELP WITH THIS ISSUE.

Hornblower409 14,600 Reputation points

2026-09-08T04:02:15.8133333+00:00

If the AI Answer did not solve your problem:

Click the [No] button on the "Was this answer helpful?" or "Did this solve your problem?" bar under the answer. If there is a [Reject] button visible, click that too. This may get a human forum user to respond to your question. But human participation remains voluntary. Community members and moderators answer only those question they choose to engage with.

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2 answers

Your answer

Hornblower409 14,600 Reputation points

2026-09-08T04:02:15.8133333+00:00

If the AI Answer did not solve your problem:

Click the [No] button on the "Was this answer helpful?" or "Did this solve your problem?" bar under the answer. If there is a [Reject] button visible, click that too. This may get a human forum user to respond to your question. But human participation remains voluntary. Community members and moderators answer only those question they choose to engage with.

If that does not get you a human response, type "Not Solved" in the "Add Comment" box below and then click the [Add Comment] button. I will try to offer some suggestions on what you can do next.

Answer 1

Thomas4-N 21,530 Microsoft External Staff Moderator

Hello Sue Bennett,

I’m sorry you’re dealing with this after the account was compromised.

Could you confirm:

What exact error appears when you send an email?
Do normal incoming messages appear in Deleted Items, Archive, or another folder?
Under Settings > Mail, are there any unfamiliar Rules or Forwarding addresses?
Have you already changed the password and signed out everywhere?

If Outlook explicitly says the account is blocked or restricted, use the Microsoft account Sign-in Helper. Otherwise, the issue may still be caused by settings changed during the compromise.

Please remove email addresses and other personal details from any screenshot or error message you share.

Thomas4-N 21,530 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-09-10T15:03:07.6666667+00:00

Hello Sue Bennett,

Just check in to see how things are going. Let me know if you need anything.

Answer 2

A hacked Outlook.com/Hotmail account can show exactly these symptoms: blocked sending, missing email, suspicious inbox rules, and external forwarding. Since storage is not full and automated recovery has not fixed it, use this recovery path:

Run a full malware scan before changing anything else
- Open Windows Security.
- Go to Virus and threat protection.
- Select Scan options > Full scan > Scan now.
- This should be done before changing the password.
Change or reset the Microsoft account password
- If sign-in still works, change the password.
- If sign-in does not work reliably, use the password reset flow.
- Use a strong password.
Check Outlook.com account settings that are commonly changed after a hack
- Review connected accounts.
- Review forwarding and turn it off if anything unfamiliar is present.
- Review automatic replies.
- Also check for suspicious Inbox rules, especially rules that:
  - forward mail to unknown addresses,
  - move mail to Junk Email, Notes, or RSS Subscriptions,
  - delete or hide incoming mail.
Use the Sign-in Helper to unblock or recover the account
- For unusual sign-in activity or a temporarily blocked Outlook.com account, use Sign-in Helper.
- If entering the security code or changing the password does not unblock the account, use the Microsoft account sign-in recovery path.
Contact support through the supported path if self-help still fails
- Use Contact Microsoft Support and select Get Help.
- If needed, continue to Contact Support for the best support option.
- Support agents cannot send password reset links or directly change account details, so the account recovery and sign-in helper flows remain the required path for identity verification.
What the symptoms mean in this case
- Receiving only junk mail and not normal mail after a hack strongly matches either:
  - a temporary sending restriction or block after suspicious activity, or
  - malicious rules/forwarding added to the mailbox.

If normal mail is still not arriving after the password is changed and suspicious rules/forwarding are removed, continue with the Sign-in Helper and Contact Support path because Outlook.com may still be under a security restriction.

References: