Sometimes, you may find that your access to Hotmail has become restricted for a number of reasons. Perhaps you forgot your password and don’t have access to any of your registered devices. You could also lose access to your Hotmail account in case of a hack attack.
There are several other reasons, but we will discuss them below and tell you several tried and tested ways to unblock Hotmail.
Ways To Unlock Your Hotmail Account
Below we outline the three main methods for unlocking your Hotmail account:
Method 1: Request Password Reset Through An Alternative Email Address
When you forget your password and Hotmail blocks incoming emails from you, the best thing you can do is go to the “Forgot your password?” link on the sign-in page and fill in your email address.
If you have specified an alternative email address, Hotmail support will send you a password reset link via that email address. You can reset the password after clicking on the link.
Method 2: Use The Microsoft Authenticator App
The Microsoft Authenticator app is a one-tap app that you can install on your iPhone, Android, Mac, or Windows device that lets you generate a six-digit code when using two-step verification.
You can use this code to verify your identity when signing up for services like Hotmail or as a means of unblocking Hotmail if you forget your password.
The authenticator app is essential for recovering accounts, especially in hacker-related attacks. Since the authenticator app uses the phone, if a hacker takes your account hostage, you can always generate a code through the phone to retrieve that account.
To use The Microsoft authenticator app for a blocked account,
- Open the Microsoft account recovery page: https://account.live.com/ResetPassword.aspx. Enter your email address and hit ‘next’.
- You will be prompted to enter the code generated by the authenticator app.
- Once you do so, click ‘next’ and proceed to reset your password and recover your account.
Method 3: Contact Hotmail Technical Support
If all else fails, you should email Hotmail support using the email address listed on the sign-up page. They’re likely to unblock your account once they know what’s happening.
You can find their email address by searching for “customer support” in the Hotmail interface. Click the “Contact Support” link and select “Technical Support”. You’ll be asked to enter your account information and submit a request, so be thorough.
You can also try sending an email to the following address: [email protected]
Why Has Hotmail Locked Me Out? Usual Reasons
When your Hotmail email account locks you out, you won’t send or receive emails. There are four reasons why this could happen:
Too Many Password Entries
You have a limit of 3 password tries when logging into your email account. If you enter the wrong password a fourth time, your account will be automatically locked.
You might be wondering how too many password entries can be a possible reason yet most people know about Hotmail’s three password attempts limit rule.
- However, if you are preoccupied due to the stresses of work or desperately trying to access your email account, you might get your password count wrong.
- Another likely scenario is when another person is trying to log into your Hotmail email account, and they guess the wrong password too many times.
Unusual activity from your Hotmail account or unusual change in location
Location data is one of the ways Microsoft keeps your account safe. If they detect an unusual place or other activity, they can temporarily lock your email account to prevent any damage.
You can recover your account using a verification code sent to your phone or another email or contacting Hotmail customer service.
Harmful activity originating from your account
A hacker (or another person in your physical location) can take control of your account and use it to send spammy or malicious content to others. Your account may also be used for phishing —tricking others into providing their private information.
56% of users use complex passwords that have uppercase letters, special characters, and numbers. This is definitely great news, but with 1 in 5 Americans reporting to have been compromised online people need to put in more effort to protect their email accounts.
Do the following to protect your Hotmail account from any future attacks from hackers:
- Change your password regularly, and use a strong password
- Use two factor authentication (Refer to the section on Microsoft Authenticator App)
How Long Does A Hotmail Account Stay Blocked?
Your Hotmail account will become available 24 hours after a temporary ban is executed or from the time you verify your account.
How To Unblock A Hotmail Account Without Code
Hotmail requires you to specify a phone number or email address to be used in account recovery. But using your phone for an account be recovery may not always be possible for several reasons:
- Your phone battery might be drained (e.g. when you are travelling), or you might not be within cellular network range.
- You could lose your phone, or someone might steal it.
The only way to recover your account in such a situation is through email. You can follow these steps:
- Log into your browser and open account.live.com.
- Enter your email address and click ‘forgot password.
- Select email as your account recovery method. You’ll be asked to type in your email address, and once you confirm this action, you’ll receive confirmation that an email with a verification link has been sent to your email address.
- Open your alternative email address and click on the verification link.
- Set the new password and then log in to your Hotmail account.
You should contact customer support if you encounter problems while trying to gain access to your Hotmail account.
What To Do If You Can’t Unblock Your Account
If you cant unblock Hotmail, you should contact Hotmail technical support through their ‘get help’ app on the Microsoft contact us page. The same page also offers options for web support and a link where you can request onsite support. Note that onsite support is a paid Microsoft service.
If you are a Microsoft 365 user, you can open a service request in the admin centre.
