"We could not verify your account" error when you try to reset your admin password in Microsoft 365, Intune, or Azure

  • Article
  • Applies to:
    Cloud Services (Web roles/Worker roles), Azure Active Directory, Microsoft Intune, Azure Backup, Microsoft 365, User and Domain Management

Problem

When you try to reset your admin password for a Microsoft cloud service such as Microsoft 365, Microsoft Intune, or Microsoft Azure, you receive the following error message:

We could not verify your account

To protect your account, we need to contact the mobile phone associated with your account before you can use this site to reset your password. Unfortunately, recent attempts to contact you at this number were not successful.

If you'd like, we can contact another administrator in your organization to reset your password for you.

If this option doesn't work for you, please contact Support.

Cause

This issue occurs if the UsageLocation parameter isn't set for your user account in Microsoft Entra ID. Self-service password reset for admins doesn't work if the UsageLocation parameter isn't set.

Solution

To change your password, ask another admin to reset it. If there are no other admins in your organization, contact Technical Support.

To resolve the issue that triggers the error message, use one of the following methods, as appropriate for your situation.

Method 1: Set your mobile phone number

Work with another admin to set your mobile phone number. Or, after you're able to sign in, update your mobile phone number in your cloud service portal.

Method 2: Set your user location

Work with another admin to set your user location. Or, after you're able to sign in, set your user location in the Microsoft 365 portal. To do this, follow these steps:

  1. Sign in to the Microsoft 365 portal (https://portal.office.com).
  2. Go to users and groups, and then select the admin account.
  3. Go to settings.
  4. Under Set user location, select the region where you're located.
    Or, you can use the Set-MsolUser Azure Active Directory module for Windows PowerShell cmdlet together with the UsageLocation parameter to set your user location.

Note

Azure AD and MSOnline PowerShell modules are deprecated as of March 30, 2024. To learn more, read the deprecation update. After this date, support for these modules are limited to migration assistance to Microsoft Graph PowerShell SDK and security fixes. The deprecated modules will continue to function through March, 30 2025.

We recommend migrating to Microsoft Graph PowerShell to interact with Microsoft Entra ID (formerly Azure AD). For common migration questions, refer to the Migration FAQ. Note: Versions 1.0.x of MSOnline may experience disruption after June 30, 2024.

More information

For more info about the Set-MsolUser cmdlet, see Set-MsolUser.

Still need help? Go to Microsoft Community or the Microsoft Entra Forums website.