“I own the Microsoft 365 tenant for southwestrelocation.co.uk. Self-service password reset is disabled.

Hi @Andrew Price, 

I’m really sorry to hear about the situation you’re facing. 

To better understand your setup, may I check if you are the only administrator on this tenant? If there happens to be another admin account, you could try signing in with that account and resetting the password for your affected admin account. 

However, if you are indeed the only admin and have lost access to that account while self-service password reset is disabled, then the only viable path forward is to involve Microsoft’s Data Protection team. They have the proper tools and verification process to securely confirm your ownership and help you regain access to the tenant.  

Please note that forum moderators have no control over user accounts, especially when it comes to logging in to your account, resetting your password, changing your access, etc 

You were absolutely right to try calling support, and I understand it hasn’t been a smooth experience so far. I’d recommend giving it another try, and this time you can use a few helpful tips along with a sample prompt to navigate the IVR system more effectively: 

(When you call the support number, you may hear an introduction of about 30 seconds such as "you can visit the link...". You can ignore this introduction and wait until you are presented with the options. Then press "1" as a business email user, and again "1" for technical help.)     

In some regions, the initial interaction may be automated, so here’s a general idea of how the conversation might go to help you prepare:       

What kind of problem are you experiencing?          

Answer: Authenticator          

What products do you use?          

Answer: Office 365 for business          

Is this for an education or company account?          

Answer: For companies          

Are you an administrator?          

Answer: Yes          

Are there any other administrators in your organization?          

Answer: No. I am the only admin in my tenant           

Do you need a... Service request?           

Answer: Yes. I need to create a ticket. Please send me direct to the Data Protection Teams.    

During the phone call, you will need to provide the information associated with your subscription, such as your company name, billing details, phone number, and an alternate email address, etc. This information allows the Data Protection team to verify your identity and securely assist you in regaining access to your administrator account.   

If you're still unable to get through to support, there is a workaround you might consider: You can register for a new Microsoft 365 tenant by signing up for a trial subscription here: Microsoft 365 Business Plans and Pricing | Microsoft 365

Once the new tenant is created, you’ll be able to sign in to the Microsoft 365 admin center and submit a support ticket from there. In your request, clearly explain that you need help with regaining access to an administrator account in your original tenant and ask to be routed to the Data Protection team. This approach typically ensures that the ticket is properly assigned and handled by a real support engineer rather than remaining stuck in automated flows.

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

I truly hope these steps help you regain access to your account. While I’m not able to intervene directly, guiding you to the right support team is the most effective help I can provide here.  

If you have any updates or additional questions, feel free to reply to this thread. I’ll be glad to assist further wherever I can.  

Thank you very much for your understanding.   

Note: Please follow the steps in our documentation to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread.  

Because self-service password reset is disabled and the admin password is no longer known, recovery depends on whether there is another administrator who can reset it for the tenant owner.

1. If there is another admin on the tenant
   • Ask another global or password administrator in the organization to reset the admin password via the Microsoft 365 admin center:
     1. Sign in to the Microsoft 365 admin center with an admin account.
     2. Go to Users > Active users.
     3. Select the tenant owner’s user account.
     4. Select Reset password.
     5. Autogenerate or create a new password and complete the reset.
   • The new password should then be shared securely with the tenant owner.
2. If the locked-out account is the only admin
   • Standard admin-center and self-service options will not work because:
     • Self-service password reset is disabled.
     • There is no second admin to perform the reset.
   • In this case, recovery must go through Microsoft’s Data Protection / support process, as described in similar scenarios where the sole global admin is locked out (for example, after losing access to Microsoft Authenticator):
     • Call Microsoft’s customer service phone number for the region and clearly state:
       • The issue is with Office 365/Microsoft 365 for business.
       • It is a company (not education) account.
       • The caller is the only administrator for the tenant.
       • The admin password is lost and self-service reset is disabled.
       • A service request is needed and the call should be routed to the Data Protection team to regain access to the admin account.
     • Be prepared to prove control of the tenant (domain ownership, billing information, etc.) as requested by Microsoft support.
3. Optional workaround to reach support if sign-in is blocked everywhere
   • If it is difficult to reach the correct support path, a temporary trial tenant can be created solely to open a support ticket:
     1. Sign up for a Microsoft 365 trial to create a new, separate tenant.
     2. In the new tenant, go to the Microsoft 365 admin center.
     3. Use Support > Help & support to open a ticket.
     4. In the ticket, clearly state that the issue is with a different existing tenant (southwestrelocation.co.uk), that the requester is the sole admin, and that access to the admin account is lost and MFA/SSPR are not usable.
     5. Ask to be connected to the Data Protection team for admin account recovery on the original tenant.
   • After the original tenant access is restored, cancel the trial subscription for the temporary tenant to avoid charges.

Once access is recovered, enable self-service password reset for the tenant to prevent similar lockouts in the future:

1. In the Microsoft 365 admin center, go to Settings > Org settings > Security & privacy.
2. Select Self-service password reset, then Go to the Azure portal.
3. In Azure portal, go to Users > Users – all users > Password reset.
4. Choose All (or Selected groups) and Save.
5. Configure Authentication methods and required number of methods, then Save.

References:

• Reset passwords in Microsoft 365 for business
• Forgot password to sign in to Microsoft 365, Intune, or Azure
• All about passwords
• I have a Micrsoft business account and I am the admin and the only user registered under this account. I can't log in because i have replaced my phone and the authenticator doesn't work. - Microsoft Q&A
• Requesting a Tenant Admin MFA Reset - Microsoft Q&A
• I cant log in to my business account because it is requiring Authenticator app which I do not have - Microsoft Q&A