Can’t sign into an inherited account as the phone number for 2-factor auth doesn’t exist

Kirsten De Forest 0 Reputation points
2025-11-04T09:29:11.0733333+00:00

I started a new job and inherited a 365 account from the previous employee - it’s a generic email address.

the issue is I can’t reset anything or install it on my phone as the phone number linked to it doesn’t exist anymore.

The administrator of the business account can’t change it, so I need to know how we go about removing this phone number from the account.

Thanks. K

Microsoft Security | Microsoft Authenticator
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  1. Onyx Is here 2,575 Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2025-11-04T10:10:45.0533333+00:00

    Sorry to hear you're having trouble.

    My first suggestion may be to try contacting the person who set it up to see if they had a back up way to get into the account. Otherwise you may want to try getting in touch with Support via https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/home/contact. Be sure to include as much information as you're able to when filling out the form.

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