Good day Billy Baker,
Thank you for reaching out to Microsoft Q&A Forum!
From your description, I understand how important this email account is to you, especially after using it for so many years. If you cannot sign in because the password is incorrect, please try the following steps:
Solution 1: Clear stored credentials for Outlook and Microsoft account (If password is correct)
If you're certain the password is correct, the Outlook app may be using a corrupted, saved version:
- Close Outlook completely.
- Open Control Panel > User Accounts > Credential Manager
- Select Windows Credentials.
- Find and remove any entries related to Outlook, MicrosoftOffice, login.live.com or your specific email address.
- Re-open Outlook: Outlook will be forced to prompt you for your password again. Enter your password carefully and check the box to "Remember me" or "Save this password."
Solution 2: Account Recovery (If password is forgotten/changed)
If Solution 1 fails, you must assume the password is now incorrect and use Microsoft's official recovery process:
1. Reset your password
- Go to: https://account.live.com/password/resetand follow the prompts.
- If your recovery options (phone/email) are outdated, choose I don’t have any of these to access the Account Recovery form.
2. Complete the Recovery Form
If your verification options don’t work, submit Account Recovery form (ACSR)
- Enter your email and an alternate email where Microsoft can contact you.
- Provide as many accurate details as possible, such as old passwords, folder names (e.g., custom folders), frequent contacts/subjects, and submit from a familiar device/location.
- Please refer to this official guideto help you fill out the form more accurately.
- If your Microsoft account recovery request was not granted or was unsuccessful, please check Account recovery unsuccessful - Microsoft Support
For more details, you can see Reset a forgotten Microsoft account password - Microsoft Support
Please understand that our initial response does not always resolve the issue immediately. However, with your help and more detailed information, we can work together to find a solution.
Thank you for your understanding and please feel free to let me know how it goes.
If the answer is helpful, please click "Accept Answer" and kindly upvote it. If you have extra questions about this answer, please click "Comment".
Note: Please follow the steps in our documentation to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread.