Recover an X Account with ID Verification

Is this your situation?

Do this first

Which situation is yours?

• No password, know email or phone: use the reset form.
• No email or phone access: password recovery is not possible and a new account may be needed.
• Locked for suspected compromise: X may reset your password to revoke a hacker's access.
• Locked for suspicious automated behavior: you must confirm you are the valid owner.
• Setting up a new account and locked out: contact support.
• Lost your authenticator phone: a backup code can still log you in.

How X handles this

• X asks for extra information like email and/or phone at sign-up or login to help identify you as the account owner.
• Account ownership can be verified by phone, email or recaptcha.
• Sometimes the only option for recovering an account without access to the associated phone or email is creating a new account.
• If the phone number entered on a support ticket matches the account, X may re-add it so you can regain access.
• Keeping an email address and/or phone number accurate and up to date ensures access to an account is never lost.

Which recovery path is yours?

1. Can you still log in to the account? Account ownership can be verified by phone, email, or recaptcha.
2. Do you have access to the email or phone linked to the account? Contact the support team if you do not have login access.
3. Have you lost both the email and phone linked to the account? Password recovery is not possible, and a new account may need to be created.
4. Did X re-associate a phone number you verified on a support ticket? Certain account settings will revert back to their default setting.
5. Does the support ticket form ask you to verify a phone number? Verifying the phone number entered in the support ticket form helps confirm ownership of the account.

What not to do

• Submitting multiple support tickets at once Wait for a response instead of filing duplicate requests.Why it happens: Standard SMS fees may apply when verifying a phone number for a support ticket.
• Assuming recovery works without email or phone access Check which contact method you still control before starting.Why it happens: Unless you have access to the account's email address or verified mobile number, X will be unable to deactivate the account on your behalf.
• Expecting recovery to work from any phone number Confirm the number is the one already linked to the account.Why it happens: If a prompt indicates more than one account is associated with a phone number, the phone-number recovery option will not work.

What to have ready

• Current login state Check whether you can still log in. Ownership can be verified by phone, email, or recaptcha.
• Email access Check access to the linked email. To verify by email, log in first.
• Phone access Check access to the linked phone. To verify by phone, log in first.
• Username or email on hand Have the username, email, or phone used. The reset form accepts username, email, or phone.
• Support ticket phone number Check that the number matches the account. Verifying the number helps confirm ownership.
• Backup codes Check whether you still have an active backup code. A backup code can be used to log in if you lose your device or change your number.

Stop this happening again

Quick reference

Keeping track of who has access