How can I create a new Azure tenant if I had one expire due to inactivity

Hi Greg DePasse,

I totally get the frustration with the Azure tenant inactivity block it's a common headache when old tenants linger and block new setups. The error AADSTS5000225 means your tenant has been inactive for over 200 days, leading to a block, and after 20 days in that state, it's permanently deleted (not recoverable). Since yours expired years ago, reactivation isn't an option, but you can easily create a fresh tenant without paid support. Here's how:

Steps to Create a New Azure Tenant

Sign Out and Use Incognito Mode: Open an incognito/private browser window to avoid auto-signing into the old tenant. Sign out of all Microsoft services completely and clear cookies/cache if needed.

Create a New Directory:

Go to the Azure Portal (portal.azure.com) and sign in with your Microsoft account.

  Click your profile picture in the top right, then select "Switch directory" > "Create a new directory" (or Azure AD tenant).

  
     Choose "Azure Active Directory" as the type, fill in the details (like organization name and initial domain), and create it. This sets up a new tenant independent of the old one.

     
     **Access the New Tenant Directly**: Once created, access it via a direct URL to bypass any redirects: **`https://portal.azure.com/<your-new-tenant-name>.onmicrosoft.com`** or **`https://portal.azure.com/<tenant-ID>`** (find the ID in your Azure AD settings).

     
     **Set It as Default**: After logging in, go to Settings > Directory + Subscription, and set the new tenant as your default.
```This should let you start fresh without circling back to the blocked tenant. If you hit snags (e.g., still seeing the error), try a different browser or account, or reach out via the Azure Help + Support page under "Subscription Management > Tenant or Directory Issue" for free assistance mention the error code to skip the loops. No need to pay for support here, as this is a standard lifecycle issue.

If you need help with specific Azure setups post-creation (like VMs or AI services), just let me know happy to dive in!

Best Regards, 

Jerald Felix

I signed out, cleared all cookies and used incognito mode in a new browser window (both Edge and Chrome), but then, when I went to portal.azure.com and signed in with my Microsoft account I get Sign-in failed

Error code: AADSTS5000225

Error message: AADSTS5000225: This tenant has been blocked due to inactivity.

This is the entire page. There isn't a profile button or anything else.

I am having the same problem. Did you find a way to solve this?

Hello @Greg DePasse

The error message you encountered indicates that your tenant has been inactive for over 200 days past the billing cycle, triggering Microsoft’s effort to remove inactive tenants. When a tenant remains inactive for this period, the OMS commerce system imposes a login block (AADSTS5000225). Twenty days after the login block is applied, the tenant is permanently deleted.

Tenant inaccessible due to inactivity

If you plan to unblock your inactive tenant, it’s essential that it has been blocked for less than 20 days. After the 20-day period, the tenant is permanently deleted and cannot be recovered.

If it has been less than 20 days since the block, please provide the following details for further assistance via private message:

• Tenant ID
• Domain Name
• Error Code
• Correlation ID from the recent failure
• Timestamp from the recent failure
• Business impact and justification for restoring the tenant, and an explanation of the impact if the tenant cannot be restored.
• Contact email

Note: If it's a test tenant, please re-create a new tenant for testing purposes.

Quickstart: Create a new tenant in Microsoft Entra ID

Do let me know if you have any queries, we are happy to assist you further.

This is utterly insane. I do not care about the old tenant. I have no idea if I am within the 200-220 day window. No data is given, no notification emails about pending expiration were sent. And honestly I shouldn't need to care - give me the option to either restore it or delete it. It's like MS doesn't want us to use it's service.

All I want to so is create a new tenant, and yet, I'm (and so many others) are faced with this show-stopping full block with zero-chance of navigating around it.

How do I convince someone at MS to just delete my old Azure tenant crap and let me start from scratch?