At times you may, for some reason, find that your Outlook, Hotmail, or Microsoft account has been suspended. This usually occurs when Microsoft feels that your mail account has been compromised or is being misused by someone to send out a lot of junk mail.
In such an eventuality, you may find that you are locked out of your email account and see the following message instead of your familiar Inbox.
Your account has been blocked
Incidentally, you may click on these images to see them in a larger size. Moreover, the images you see may differ, but the procedure remains more or less the same.
Outlook, Hotmail, or Microsoft Account Blocked
To unblock your account, click on Continue.
Here you can verify that you own this account by two methods. You can ask Microsoft to send you a verification code by mail to your alternate email Id or SMS it to your mobile number.
Microsoft has also introduced two kinds of proofs for account recovery. You can now link your Hotmail account to your PC and your mobile phone for enhanced security. You also want to follow some of these Hotmail Sign-In tips in the future.
If you were reading this post for information purposes and haven’t yet set these, you might want to set them right away via your Account Settings.
I had my account blocked. Maybe it was because the Microsoft Store India database was compromised recently, and in all its prudence, Microsoft decided to block all the mail IDs, or maybe there was some other reason; I have no idea. But the fact remained that it was blocked!
I opted for the Send to mobile phone option and waited. When I had not received the verification code for over a half-hour, I opted for the Send to alternate mail ID option. I received the verification code in a minute! So you may decide which option you want to go with, in case you have both registered.
After you receive the verification code, enter it and click on Continue.
You may receive the following message if it is not the first time your Live account has been blocked.
The Hotmail team probably decided to show this message as a matter of abundant precaution in the interest of its users. They want you to ensure that your Windows computer has not been compromised and that your Windows Updates are turned on. But since I was sure it did not apply to me, I clicked on Continue.
You will be asked to set a new password in the next step. Please do so and set a strong password.
Finally, you will be asked to review your alternate email ID and mobile number and confirm them. Please check them, select the appropriate response and click on Continue.
Read: It looks like someone else might be using your account.
Recover Outlook, Hotmail, or Microsoft Account
You are done and can now sign in with your new password.
If you face difficulties or require additional assistance, to recover your Microsoft account you can always contact them by visiting account.live.com/acsr. I am sure that they will be more than happy to be of assistance to you!
If you find that an unauthorized person has used your Microsoft Account ID to sign in to your Microsoft Account, you might want to see this post on how to reclaim your hacked Microsoft Account.
I hope this post helps you.
Why is My Outlook Account Blocked
If your Outlook account is blocked, it may be due to several reasons. One possibility is that your account has been flagged for spam activity. This can happen if you’ve been sending many emails to people who don’t know you or if you’ve been using your account to send unsolicited commercial messages.
Another possibility is that your account has been hacked, and someone has been using it to send spam or phishing emails. If this is the case, you should change your password and enable two-factor authentication to help secure your account. If you’re unsure why your account has been blocked, you can contact Outlook support for more information.
Related: Your account has been locked – Microsoft.
