Need Support with Removing Child Filters

Question

Need Support with Removing Child Filters

Elliot Scott 0

Issue Summary: On September 2, 2025, we set up a new computer for a new hire, T.M. During setup, we were unexpectedly prompted to create an Outlook email address. We created [****@outlook.com]** and, lacking the new hire’s actual date of birth, entered 01/01/2025 as a placeholder.

After completing setup, we were able to log into Microsoft with the company email. However, the next day we discovered this account had been categorized as a child account. We attempted to remove the restriction, then deleted the [****@outlook.com]** account, believing the issue was resolved, and performed a hard system reset.

Since then, we have been unable to recover the [****@outlook.com]** account despite 10+ recovery attempts over two weeks. The account recovery process requires a verification code sent to the closed Outlook email, which we cannot access. No alternative verification options are provided. All recovery forms we’ve submitted have been declined.

Because the [****@outlook.com]** account remains unrecoverable, we cannot remove the child account filter on company email. The filter is blocking critical business websites, significantly impacting operations.

Actions Taken:

Multiple recovery attempts using Microsoft’s self-service account recovery form.
Tried reopening the deleted Outlook account without success.
Referenced all Microsoft knowledge articles and community forums.
Performed a hard system reset on the new computer.

Assistance Needed: We require direct Microsoft intervention to resolve this issue. Specifically, we need:

Either manual removal of the child account restriction on company email, OR
Recovery of the deleted [****@outlook.com]** account, allowing us to log in with the known password and update the date of birth to correct the account classification.

Business Impact: This issue is preventing access to key websites and disrupting day-to-day operations for our employee and team. Self-service options have been exhausted, and we need Microsoft support to step in with a manual resolution.

I have been unable to get any sort of support from Microsoft.

3 answers

Your answer

Answer 1

Dear Elliot Scott,

Thank you for posting your question to the Microsoft Q&A forum. I’m sorry to hear that your Microsoft account was closed and about the difficulties this has caused for you and your company. The good news is that you may still be able to reopen it.

When a Microsoft account is closed (either by a user or by Microsoft), it enters a holding period of either 30 or 60 days before the data is permanently deleted. If you act within this window, you can typically restore full access.

You can stop the closure process and restore your account by simply signing back in while it's in the holding period.

Go to the Microsoft Sign In page (where you usually log in).
Enter the email address, phone number, or Skype name for the closed account.
Enter your password.

Upon signing in, you'll be prompted with a message telling you the account is scheduled for closure. and will be asked to receive and enter a security code. After you enter the code, your account will be reopened.

For more information on the process, please refer to this article: Reopen your Microsoft account - Microsoft Support

Please note: If you see an error message that the account "doesn't exist," it means the holding period has expired, and the account has been permanently deleted. At that point, unfortunately, it cannot be recovered.

Please try these solutions in the order provided and let me know if it helps resolve the issue, then we can move on to updating the account’s date of birth and adjusting the parental controls.

If the answer is helpful, please click "Accept Answer" and kindly upvote it. If you have extra questions about this answer, please click "Comment".

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Elliot Scott 0 Reputation points

2025-10-01T20:52:25.72+00:00

Hi,

Unfortunately, this has been tried as well. We do not have a code and when we are able to get a prompt to send us a code, it sends to the closed email address that we are unable to access because it's closed. This is a loop we've been stuck in for weeks now. The account is set to close at the end of October, so we do need elevated help and intervention from Microsoft. We have exhausted all options available on our end.

Answer 2

Elliot Scott 0

Hi,

Unfortunately, this has been tried as well. We do not have a code and when we are able to get a prompt to send us a code, it sends to the closed email address that we are unable to access because it's closed. This is a loop we've been stuck in for weeks now. The account is set to close at the end of October, so we do need elevated help and intervention from Microsoft. We have exhausted all options available on our end.

Chloe-L 4,125 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-10-01T23:41:45.11+00:00

Dear @Elliot Scott,

We want to make sure you get your unlock code without any trouble. Just a quick heads-up: the code will be sent to your back-up email address, not the one you've closed.

Step 1: Sign-in

Please enter your closed account email address here

Step 2: Verify your account

Enter the back-up email you added to your account.

Step 3: Receive the unlock code

The code will arrive in that same back-up email from Step 2.

Step 4: Unlock your account

Use the code here. If your account was scheduled to be closed by the end of October, your main account should be back open right away!

Please feel free to let me know if you have any further updates.

Warm regards.
Elliot Scott 0 Reputation points

2025-10-02T11:49:17.4033333+00:00

Hi -

There was no backup email address created which is another layer to the issue. I've just tried these steps, and they also do not work. Again, I have exhausted all options, step by step instructions as well as chatting with a representative with no success. I would like someone to reopen the account for us or remove the child lock. Either would solve the issue. We also can't get past the login stage because just the email address and password do not let us account the account. They want a code for verification which we cannot access.
Chloe-L 4,125 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-10-02T18:08:07.9133333+00:00

Hi @Elliot Scott,

Thank you for your prompt reply and for providing that additional information. I am sorry to hear that there haven't been any possible solutions to your account issue so far.

I want to be transparent regarding your request to have the account reopened or the child lock removed. For the security and privacy of all users, Microsoft Support staff in this community do not have the ability to directly access, modify, or reopen user accounts. This process is strictly controlled to protect your personal information.

To help me better understand the exact point where the process is failing, could you please provide screenshots of the steps you have taken? Seeing the screens you are seeing would be incredibly helpful for us to diagnose the problem accurately.

Important: For your privacy, please be sure to redact or obscure any personally identifiable information (such as the full email address) from the screenshots before you post them.

Once we can see the exact messages and prompts you're encountering, we may be able to provide more targeted guidance.

We look forward to your response.

Best regards,
Elliot Scott 0 Reputation points

2025-10-02T18:36:21.5166667+00:00

Yes, is there a place I can email this information?
Chloe-L 4,125 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-10-02T18:59:01.3133333+00:00

Hi @Elliot Scott,

You can post it here directly, just like I did in my comment above. Just make sure to hide any sensitive company details, including your email address, since this is a public forum.
Elliot Scott 0 Reputation points

2025-10-02T19:12:21.27+00:00

The code then goes to the closed account that we can't access. Then I select 'use a different verification option' and I'm brought back to this screen so we're stuck in a loop with no resolution.
Chloe-L 4,125 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-10-02T19:25:04.54+00:00
Hi @Elliot Scott,

Thanks so much for the screenshots!

Just one more question—when you closed the ****@outlook.com account, did you use the process described in this article How to close your Microsoft account, or did you follow this set of steps:

Logged in as the Organizer: You signed into your Microsoft Family Safety dashboard with your company email.

Managed the Family Group: You saw the child account listed as a member of your family group.

Removed the Child: You selected the option to "Remove from family group."

Consented to Deletion: Because it was a child account, Microsoft's system would have then prompted you, the organizer, with a message like, "Removing this child will also close their Microsoft account and delete their data. Do you consent to this action?". Then you confirmed this action and the account got closed
Elliot Scott 0 Reputation points

2025-10-02T19:37:37.5633333+00:00

We did the 'How to close your Microsoft Account' process. We did not realize the company email address was setup as a child account until after the fact when he realized he wasn't able to access certain things. At that point we had already closed the outlook account because we were unclear why we had to create one in the first place when we setup the new computer.
Chloe-L 4,125 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-10-02T20:34:41.08+00:00
Thank you for that clarification—it's a helpful detail!

I also want to clear up one important point from your update:

"We did not realize the company email address was setup as a child account..."

Just to be perfectly clear, your company email was never a child account. It was automatically assigned the role of the "Organizer" or "Parent" in the Family Safety group.

You are experiencing the child filter because your company account is operating inside the Windows profile that was built by the child account.

Thus, one approach you can try, is to create a new, untainted local administrator account on the machine, migrate the user's data, and then delete the problematic profile. Please follow these steps in order to perform the action.

1.Boot into Advanced Startup / Command Prompt:

On the Windows login screen, hold down the Shift key + click the Power icon in the bottom-right corner, and then click Restart.

The computer will reboot into a blue screen with options. Navigate to Troubleshoot -> Advanced options -> Command Prompt.

2.Create a New Local Administrator Account:

In the Command Prompt, we will create a new local user. Type the 2 following commands, pressing Enter after each one. Replace NewAdmin with a temporary username and StrongP@ssw0rd! with a secure password.

net user NewAdmin StrongP@ssw0rd! /add net localgroup administrators NewAdmin /add

This creates a new user named NewAdmin and adds it to the local administrators group, giving it full permissions.

Close the Command Prompt: click the X in the top-right corner of the black window.

Continue to Windows: After closing the command prompt, you will be returned to the blue recovery screen. Look for and click the option that says "Continue" or "Exit and continue to Windows".

Restart: Your PC will restart automatically. This is a normal boot-up.

Log In: When the login screen appears, you should now see the new account you created, NewAdmin, in the list of users (usually in the bottom-left corner). Click on it and log in with the password you set.

Log into this account. You will go through a brief "Hi, we're getting things ready for you" process as Windows builds the new profile.

3. Set Up the New Hire's Account Correctly:

Once logged in as NewAdmin, go to Settings > Accounts > Family & other users.

Add the new hire's company email (Work or school account). Crucially, make this account an Administrator.

Sign out of NewAdmin.

4.Log In as the New Hire & Migrate Data:

Log in using the new hire's company email account. A fresh, unrestricted profile will be created.

Open File Explorer. Navigate to C:\Users\.

You will see the folder for the old, problematic profile (e.g., C:\Users\T.M.) and the new one.

Open the old user's folder. You may be prompted for admin permission; grant it.

Copy the necessary files (from Desktop, Documents, Pictures, etc.) from the old profile folder to the new profile folder. Do not copy entire folders from the root of the old profile (like AppData), as this can bring over the corrupt settings. Be selective. Cleanup:

Once you are certain all necessary data has been migrated, you can log back into the NewAdmin account and remove the original, problematic user account via Settings > Accounts > Family & other users. This will also delete its associated user folder and free up space.

You can then also remove the temporary NewAdmin account itself, leaving only the new hire's clean administrator account.

I recognize these steps involve re-configuring the user's profile, but this is the most direct and effective path to bypass the locked-down state caused by the deleted MSA. This procedure isolates and removes the problematic component (the local profile) without needing to recover an account that is, for all practical purposes, unrecoverable.

Please proceed with this action plan and let me know the results.

Best regards,

Answer 3

Chloe-L 4,125 Microsoft External Staff Moderator

Hi @Elliot Scott,

Good day to you! I'm just checking in to see if the solution we provided has resolved your issue.

Please let us know if you require any further assistance.

Warm regards,

Elliot Scott 0 Reputation points

2025-10-09T17:42:38.08+00:00

Hi,

Unfortunately - this did not work but we do need a fix before the email address disappears to remove the child lock limitations.
Chloe-L 4,125 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-10-14T21:38:36.63+00:00
Hi @Elliot Scott,

Thank you for your reply and for trying the suggested steps. I sincerely apologize that the previous suggestions did not work for you.

Since this situation involves specific account security and family safety settings, it will require direct assistance from our live support team. For the safety and privacy of your account, we in the community forums do not have the tools to access or modify user account information.

To get the necessary help, please contact our Microsoft Support team directly.

You can reach them through this link: https://support.microsoft.com/contactus

On the page, briefly describe the issue (e.g., "remove child lock from account") and click Get Help.

At the bottom of the page, click the Contact Support button.

Choose "Other Products" for Products and services and Manage profile information for Category

Click Chat with a support agent in your web browser and you will be connected with an agent

Note: The contact support team only works at certain times, so if the last window says it's not there, try opening it again the next day.

Thank you for your patience, and I sincerely hope that Microsoft support is able to assist you in resolving this issue. Please don't hesitate to reach out if you need anything else at all.
Elliot Scott 0 Reputation points

2025-10-16T12:35:32.49+00:00

Hi - I have done these steps before, and the support representative just had me submit a recovery form which was then immediately denied. I've probably submitted 10 at this point. Is there a way for an actual person who is available to help with a real resolution?
Chloe-L 4,125 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-10-17T21:49:06.2766667+00:00

Dear @Elliot Scott,

Thank you for the additional information. I understand you're looking to speak with a live support agent for a resolution.

Microsoft provides phone support for business customers. You can find the correct number for your location on this page: Customer service phone numbers

Please be aware that for security reasons, the Microsoft account recovery process is fully automated. No support agent can manually reset a password or change account details. The recovery form is the only method available to verify ownership. The phone agent can provide guidance but cannot override this automated system.

We hope you can get this resolved soon.

Warm regards,

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Need Support with Removing Child Filters

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