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Hotmail We Can’t Sign You In: What it Means and How to Fix It

  Tej Pratap Shukla
Written By Tej Pratap Shukla
Anuraag Singh
Approved By Anuraag Singh
Modified On December 2nd, 2025
Reading Time 7 Min Read

When you see the “Hotmail we can’t sign you in” error message, it mainly means something is blocking Microsoft from verifying your login. I’ve dealt with this error personally, and I found, it’s caused by a simple issue like a wrong password or a security check. 

After learning the causes behind this, and step-by-step fixes, I’m here to help those users who are like me, and want a resolve this issue permanently. So, first let me explain the causes behind it.

What does “Hotmail We Can’t Sign You In” Mean?

When Hotmail displays this error, it simply means Microsoft cannot verify your sign-in attempt. It doesn’t mean your account is deleted or hacked. It’s mainly caused by:

  • Wrong password or outdated credentials
  • Account security checks
  • Two-step verification issues
  • Browser/cookie problems
  • Microsoft server outages
  • Temporary account lockouts
  • Old Hotmail accounts are becoming inactive

To resolve this issue effectively, I’ll break this into two categories:
 (A) Problems on your side
 (B) Problems on Microsoft’s side

Below, I’ll explain both and how to fix them.

Common Reasons for “Hotmail We Can’t Sign You In”

Here are the main causes and fixes that I found:

#1. Incorrect Password

This is obvious, but I’ve seen many users locked out because of:

  • Caps Lock turned on
  • Old saved passwords are autofilling
  • Using a password from another device

Sometimes, the browser stores an outdated password even after you change it elsewhere.

To resolve it:

  1. Enter the password manually, instead of using autofill.
  2. Check Caps Lock and keyboard layout.
  3. Try signing in from another device or browser.

If the password is still rejected, reset your Hotmail password by:

  1. Go to the Microsoft account recovery page.
  2. Enter your Hotmail email.
  3. Choose phone, email, or authenticator verification.
  4. Create a new password.

If you don’t receive OTP codes or don’t have your device, don’t worry, there’s a separate fix below.

#2. Two-Step Verification Isn’t Working

If you enabled 2-step verification, you must approve the sign-in via:

  • Microsoft Authenticator
  • SMS
  • Email
  • Security key

If you don’t have access to that method, Microsoft blocks the login.

To resolve it, try an alternate verification method:

  1. Click “I don’t have any of these” during login.
  2. Choose a backup recovery email/phone.
  3. If available, use recovery codes you saved earlier.

If you lost all verification methods, Microsoft activates a 30-day account recovery period, and there’s no shortcut; you have to wait.

#3. Browser Issues

Sometimes the issue isn’t with your account but your browser. Corrupt cookies or third-party extensions can interrupt authentication.

I found two tricks to quickly resolve it:

#Method 1. Use Private Mode

Try incognito mode:

  • Chrome: Ctrl+Shift+N
  • Edge: Ctrl+Shift+N
  • Firefox: Ctrl+Shift+P

If it works, the issue is your browser cache.

#Method 2. Clear Cookies & Cache

Clear:

  • Cookies
  • Cached images
  • Site data

#Method 3. Disable Extensions

I’ve personally seen ad-blockers break login pages, which leads to an IMAP authentication failed issue.

Disable everything and retry.

#4. Account Locked Due to Suspicious Activity

Hotmail automatically locks accounts if it detects:

  • Too many failed logins
  • Sign-ins from unusual locations
  • Mass emailing could trigger spam flags

The message you see:
 “Your account has been locked due to suspicious activity.”

To fix it:

  1. Go to account.live.com/acsr
  2. Follow the recovery process
  3. Enter a recovery email or phone number

After verifying, Microsoft unlocks the account.

#5. Hotmail Account Is Inactive

Hotmail accounts are deleted if unused:

  • After 2 years of inactivity (complete deletion)
  • After 1 year (deactivation)

So, it is next to impossible if you are trying to recover your 5-7-year-deactivated account, until and unless you archive Hotmail emails or a backup of that account.

To verify this, when you try signing in:

  • If Microsoft says “This account doesn’t exist,” it’s deleted.
  • If it says “Hotmail we can’t sign you in,” the account still exists, but needs recovery.

If you verify all these 5 points, and still the issue is not resolved. Then, the error is not from your end. Next, I’ll explain how Microsoft is responsible for this. 

#6. Microsoft Server Outage

Signs of an outage:

If you see these signs, then check official outage pages to confirm. If Outlook is down, all you can do is wait.

But, if you found the problem is not from the Microsoft end, then the reasons could be a cyberattack. To know more, read the next section.

#7. Account Is Hacked

If someone changes your password or security settings, Microsoft can block access.

Here are the signs of a hack:

If you found your account has been hacked, don’t worry, following these steps will resolve the issue:

  1. Use the account recovery form: account.live.com/acsr
  2. Provide as much info as possible:
    • Old passwords
    • Subject lines of past emails
    • Contacts
    • Folders you created

How to Fix “Hotmail We Can’t Sign You In” – Step-by-Step Checklist

Here’s the quick process of the above detailed guidelines to troubleshoot the issue quickly:

  • #Step 1: Try a different browser or device
  • #Step 2: Reset the password
  • #Step 3: Check two-step verification
  • #Step 4: Clear browser cookies/cache
  • #Step 5: Unlock the account. Follow Microsoft’s security check process.
  • #Step 6: Check for outages. If Microsoft services are down, wait it out.
  • #Step 7: Follow the hacked account recovery process

How to Prevent the Hotmail Login Error?

To avoid this issue in the future, remember these points:

  • Add multiple recovery options.
  • Turn on passwordless sign-in using the Microsoft Authenticator app
  • Keep the browser updated
  • Avoid public Wi-Fi for login
  • Sign in at least once every few months so the account stays active
  • Review recent activity to catch suspicious access early
Take a Hotmail Account Backup as a Preventive Measure

After running into the “Hotmail we can’t sign you in” error more times, I realise the biggest risk is losing access to my emails. So, from that point, I decided to start taking regular backups of my Hotmail account as a preventive step.

For this, I personally use the SysTools Hotmail Backup Tool, because it gives me a simple way to keep a complete offline copy of my mailbox. The tool lets me save my emails in formats like PST, MBOX, EML, PDF and MSG, which means I can access my data offline or even in Outlook, Thunderbird, Apple Mail, etc.

It also helps me clean up my Hotmail inbox. Once I archive older emails locally, my online account loads faster and manageable.

So, fixing the login issue is important, but creating a backup ensures data continuity, even if your service is not working. Try this for free now!

When Should You Contact Microsoft Support?

I contact Microsoft Support only when:

  • The account recovery form fails
  • The account is locked even after verification
  • The login page keeps redirecting or refreshing
  • You can verify your identity, but you still can’t sign in

Microsoft can’t restore deleted Hotmail accounts, but they can help with:

  • Identity verification problems
  • Account lockouts
  • 2FA (two-factor authentication) issues
Author’s Verdict

As per our discussion, the “Hotmail we can’t sign you in” error is usually fixable within minutes unless the account is locked, hacked, or deleted. If you follow the steps I shared above, especially the password reset and 2-step verification checks, you’ll regain access quickly.