So today I turned on my Xbox and it suddenly asked me for my password, which I’ve never had enabled before. When I tried logging in, my password wasn’t accepted. I noticed next to my gamertag there was a strange different email address displayed, which looked like my usual gamertag plus some extra characters. Then, when I tried to log into the Game Pass app on my PC, it said my email doesn’t exist. I’ve spent hours trying to reach support but didn’t get any real help. My account had two emails associated with it—one old Hotmail from way back and my current Gmail, both of which have always worked for login. Now if I use Gmail, it wants me to create a new gamertag, and if I try Hotmail, it says it doesn’t exist. I’m really worried someone might have hacked my account, changed my email, or maybe my old Hotmail got deleted somehow. I have about 20 years of games and purchases on this account, including Games with Gold, so losing access feels devastating. I really don’t know what to do at this point and just feel lost.
4 Answers
Honestly, this is one of the worst situations. Having an Xbox account for 20 years means a ton of history and purchases, and having it suddenly disappear or be inaccessible is really heartbreaking. If support is returning only canned responses or just telling you to reset passwords that don’t work, try pushing for higher level support or using official Microsoft support chat or phone lines. Sometimes the community forums or Twitter support can help get attention. Also, keep documenting what’s happening, screenshots of errors, emails shown on the console, etc. It might help when someone eventually investigates your case.
It definitely sounds like your account might have been compromised, especially if there’s an unfamiliar email showing up next to your gamertag and your old email is suddenly recognized as non-existent. The usual route is to use Microsoft’s account recovery form to regain access, but I understand you’re stuck because it says your email doesn’t exist when you try. Even so, that’s the key thing to try as it asks for a ton of info to verify your ownership. If you’re having trouble with the recovery process itself, try looking up guides on how to fill out the recovery form correctly and gather as much info as possible like old passwords, Xbox console IDs, payment details, and so on. This can help prove you’re the rightful owner.
From what you’re describing, it sounds like someone hacked your account, changed the primary alias (email), and possibly deleted or removed your original Hotmail alias. This would explain why your old email says it doesn’t exist and why the password won’t work. The new email you see is likely the hacker’s replacement. The best thing to do is get in touch directly with Microsoft Xbox support and explain the situation in detail — especially that you can’t log in and your original email / account aliases have been messed with. They have procedures for compromised accounts, but you might need to be persistent and keep escalating if the first agents don’t help. Also, try to gather any proof of purchase, past subscriptions, or any info that shows the account is yours; it’ll improve the chances of recovery.
If you haven’t already, definitely set up 2-factor authentication (2FA) on any accounts linked to your Xbox to prevent future hacks once you regain access. Unfortunately, after 20 years the email linked to your account might have been compromised in some leaks or phishing, so it’s extra important. The new email you see might be the hacker’s alias. It’s really important to keep any recovery info handy and try to contact Microsoft Xbox support repeatedly until someone can help verify your identity and restore your account.
I hear you. I wasn’t even able to reach a real person easily; mostly stuck with bots and the AI assistant keeps sending me in circles. It’s super frustrating.
Yeah, but the recovery form already says my email doesn’t exist so I can’t even start filling it out properly. It’s like the whole account vanished.