Grandmothers Microsoft account was hacked. Want to delete the account so we can create a new one

Question

Grandmothers Microsoft account was hacked. Want to delete the account so we can create a new one

Scott Garner 0

Hello,

As the title stated, my grandmother recently went through some issues with several of her accounts being hacked. We are going through today to secure up the accounts we can with 2fa, or deleted\deactivating those accounts we can't recover. This is one of those accounts where the email address for 2fa as well as the password has been changed(we still have access to the original email used to log in and register the account).

How do we go about deleting the account when we can't recover it? We can't seem to find an 800 number to call.

Any assistance is needed.

Thank you!

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2 answers

Your answer

Answer 1

If the account cannot be signed in to, it cannot be closed directly because closing the account requires signing in first.

Use this path instead:

Start with the Microsoft account sign-in helper tool: Sign-in helper.
If the account was hacked, use the hacked account recovery guidance and complete the recovery steps in order:
- Run a full malware scan on the PC first.
- Then change or reset the password if access can be restored.
- Review connected accounts, forwarding, and automatic replies after recovery.
If recovery is still not possible, contact support through Contact Microsoft Support or the support option for talking to an agent.

Important limits:

Support agents are not allowed to send password reset links or access and change account details.
If the goal is to close the Outlook.com or Microsoft account, sign-in is required first.
If the account cannot be recovered, the documented path is to use the sign-in helper and support channels rather than direct account deletion without access.

References:

Answer 2

Clary-N 15,730 Microsoft External Staff Moderator

Hi Scott Garner,

I’m sorry to hear your grandmother is dealing with this. Before suggesting the next steps, could you clarify what you mean by deleting the account?

Do you want to:

Permanently close the compromised Microsoft account, including its associated Outlook.com email, OneDrive files, subscriptions, Xbox data and other Microsoft services or
Remove or replace the account on the Windows 11 computer so your grandmother can sign in with a new account?

These are different processes. Permanently closing a Microsoft account requires signing in and verifying ownership. If the account cannot be accessed, the available path is to try the account-recovery options first.

If you only want to remove the compromised account from the computer, please let me know whether your grandmother can still sign in to the Windows desktop and whether the account appears under Settings > Accounts > Your info. I can then provide the appropriate Windows 11 steps without affecting the online Microsoft account.

In the meantime, I recommend securing the original email account and changing any passwords that were reused on other accounts.

I hope this helps clarify the difference and I’ll be glad to advise further once you confirm which account you want to remove.

If you have extra questions about this answer, please click "Comment".

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Clary-N 15,730 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-09-09T08:44:15.1366667+00:00

Hi Scott Garner,

May I know if you have got any chance to check my answer?

I am glad to help if you have any other questions.
Scott Garner 0 Reputation points

2026-09-09T12:36:37.73+00:00
Hello,

I apologize, but I ended up working over yesterday and didn't get an opportunity to respond back.

It would help if I clarified a few things.

She may not of hand a windows account before, and someone used her charter.net email addresses(which was hacked) to create on, or if she did have one, she never used it.

She uses a local account on her laptop to keep things offline, so her windows device is not compromised or hacked.

We have tried all automated options available, but since she may not have been the one to originally create the account, her information isn't present there.

At this point since she doesn't use it, but since it's still tied into her email(using her email address to log into it) we were wanting to just delete the account entirely. Which is why we reached out here since we couldn't locate a 800 number to call(like we did for her Walmart account which was also hacked).
Clary-N 15,730 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-09-10T08:09:20.92+00:00
Hi Scott,

Thank you for the additional details. I'm sorry your grandmother has been dealing with this.

As forum moderators, we do not have access to Microsoft accounts or account ownership records, so we cannot recover, delete or close accounts on a user's behalf.

Based on what you've described, if the Microsoft account has been taken over and the password and security information were changed, the account can only be closed by someone who can successfully sign in and verify ownership. Unfortunately, neither the community nor Microsoft Support can simply delete an account without verifying ownership for security and privacy reasons.

Since you've already exhausted the automated recovery options, I recommend contacting Microsoft Support directly to see whether any additional recovery options are available:

Go to Contact Microsoft Support and sign in with a Microsoft account.

Type "Live Support" and select Get help.

Scroll down and select Contact support.

Under Products and services, choose Other Products.

Under Category, select Billing and Account Profile questions, then select Confirm.

Choose Chat with a support agent in your web browser.

If you still have access to the original Charter.net email account, I also recommend checking for any Microsoft security or account-change notifications that may have been received when the account information was changed, as those messages can sometimes provide additional recovery options.

I hope this helps clarify the available options. I wish your grandmother the best as you continue securing her accounts and please let me know if you have any questions about the account recovery or closure process.
Scott Garner 0 Reputation points

2026-09-11T04:17:44.78+00:00

Hello,

Thank you very much for the suggestion. I will log in and take a look at it tomorrow.
Clary-N 15,730 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-09-11T07:10:46.96+00:00

Hi Scott,

You're very welcome! I hope Microsoft Support is able to provide some additional guidance when you contact them.

Since this situation involves account ownership and security verification, the support team will be in the best position to advise whether any further recovery options are available for your grandmother's account.

Best regards.