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How to recover a lost email which is my Window login

veenmao 0 Reputation points
2026-05-02T07:26:43.98+00:00

Yesterday I had the bright idea to reset my PC as I wanted a clean slate to work with. It's an OMEN gaming PC (unsure of the specific make and details). I left the full factory reset (in hindsight probably unnecessarily to fully delete everything) running for a few hours, came back and it was finished. Tried to log into my account as it opened on the user profile, but it says "Your PIN is no longer available (...) Click to set up your pin again." When I click, it says "The User Profile service failed the sign-in. User profile cannot be loaded."

I found solutions online like holding shift on restart and choosing either to attempt another reset, or enter safe-mode/use command prompt to create a new user profile and delete the old one.

However - I do not have access to the email for my Windows account (and it isn't a conventional email address like gmail, hotmail, icloud etc.) AND I do not recall the password. I've attempted to recover the email which was made by my late grandad, who also built my PC, but I do not have enough information to verify that it is my email and that I'm not just somebody trying to hack in.

Right now I'm trying to install Windows 10 media through my laptop onto a USB to hopefully reinstall windows on my PC, however I don't see that working as the problem still lies with my inability to access my account.

Please help! Somehow!

Windows for home | Windows 10 | Recovery and backup
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  1. Gunasekar N 66,000 Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2026-05-02T09:51:33.1766667+00:00

    Hello, thank you for reaching out to Microsoft Q&A.

    Since it is a clean installation, you can set up Windows using another Microsoft account. If you don't have one, you can create a new one using the link here - https://signup.live.com/

    Regarding the Windows account that your late grandad created, you do not have any recovery methods, such as a phone number or email address, to verify your identity? Microsoft will verify your identity when you make security changes to your account, like resetting your account password.

    If you do not have access to the recovery methods, you will need to use the account recovery form. Once Microsoft verifies your information, you should be able to update your security details and reset your password. Please continue submitting the account recovery form until Microsoft is able to verify your account.

    Remember to use a familiar device from which you've frequently accessed your Microsoft account, as well as a familiar location. Microsoft will review your responses and respond within 24 hours. If you are verified, instructions on how to log back into your account will be sent to you, and if you are not verified, you will need to submit the Account Recovery form again. You can do this up to 2 times every 24 hours.

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