How to Find Inactive (Stale) User Accounts
Inactive accounts can soak up a lot of paid-for but unused product licenses. With increases for Microsoft 365 licenses due to come into effect from 1 July 2026, it’s time to find and remove unused licenses from inactive user accounts. We discuss two approaches by using the Microsoft 365 Licensing Report or a PowerShell script that assesses inactivity based on sign-in dates and refresh token baselines. https://office365itpros.com/2026/06/09/find-inactive-accounts/The Great Loop Departed User Process
When employees leave a Microsoft 365 tenant, they might leave a user-owned Loop workspace behind which contains some valuable information that the organization wants to retain. Two years or so after announcing that a workflow to handle user-owned workspaces was coming, Microsoft is rolling out the update to tenants worldwide. The process is manual, but not much automation is possible to review and preserve workspace content. https://office365itpros.com/2026/06/04/user-owned-loop-workspaces/Microsoft Launches Container Management Support for Security Groups
A recent blog from the Microsoft Digital (IT department) discusses the preview implementation of container management labels for security groups. The implementation is limited because it encompasses just one control: the ability to have guest accounts in the membership of security groups. However, just that limited control is sufficient to stop unintended access to sensitive information by guest accounts, and that’s a very good thing. https://office365itpros.com/2026/06/03/security-groups-labels/Sending a Welcome Message to New Employees Part 2
Recently, I wrote about how to use PowerShell to send a welcome email to new employees together with attached ICS files for corporate events. Although new employees can add the ICS files to their calendars (so the solution works), simply inviting employees to attend those events by updating the participant list with PowerShell is an easier and better approach. This article explains how to find calendar events, update participant lists, and update events with the Microsoft Graph PowerShell SDK. https://office365itpros.com/2026/05/27/new-employee-email2/
Sole Microsoft 365 Admin Locked Out After Phone Replacement / Lost MFA Device
I am the sole admin for a Microsoft 365 tenant and I am currently locked out after replacing my phone. The old phone was wiped before Microsoft Authenticator was fully re-registered on the new device. Authenticator was the only MFA method configured on the account. Current situation: password is known, Teams desktop sessions are still active, Authenticator cloud backup restored successfully, but all Microsoft security and admin pages still require approval from the old Authenticator registration. I cannot access Security Info, Entra Admin, or Microsoft 365 Admin Center because every path loops back to the dead MFA registration. I have already attempted Microsoft business support phone lines, Authenticator restore and recovery, and existing desktop sessions, but support queues are disconnecting and I cannot open business support tickets because the admin account itself is MFA locked. Tenant: lowepfg.onmicrosoft.com What is the fastest recovery or escalation path to force MFA reset or re-register Microsoft Authenticator for the tenant admin account?
Lost Access to Microsoft Authenticator
Hello team, I reimage my phone, unfortunately lost Microsoft Authenticator, I dont have cloud backup enabled in my Authenticator, I try login account in Microsoft Authenticator, but still ask me Authenticator verification, and no other option (like email, SMS, or backup codes) shown, I'm register Microsoft 365 developer account, i'm only admin, could you please let me know the exact steps I need to take or if there is a support escalation route I should follow, thanks for advance.Transfer MS Office 365 Business ownership from MSP to own MS Business account
Hello Everybody I need to transfer my clients MS Office 365 Business from current MSP to their own MS Business account. Current MSP very bad service. So, at the end they want to manage their Emails\Licenses on MS Admin Center. What are the steps on doing this?
Issue with "Edit with Paint 3D" Functionality
I have recently encountered an issue with Paint 3D. When I try to edit a picture using Paint 3D by right-clicking on the photo and selecting "Edit with Paint 3D," I am unexpectedly prompted to choose an app to open the file instead of Paint 3D launching directly. Has anyone else experienced this problem, or does anyone have any insights on why this might be happening and how to resolve it? Thank you for your assistance! Following was done: Reinstall Paint 3D Open Microsoft Store: Go to the Start menu and open the Microsoft Store. Search for Paint 3D: In the search bar, type "Paint 3D." Reinstall Paint 3D: If the app is installed, you can click "Open." If it’s not installed or you suspect it might be corrupted, click "Install" or "Get" to reinstall it. Ensure Paint 3D is Enabled Open Settings: Press Win + I to open Settings. Go to Apps: Navigate to "Apps" and then "Apps & features." Find Paint 3D: Scroll through the list of installed apps to find "Paint 3D." Ensure It’s Enabled: If you find it, make sure it’s not disabled. If it is, re-enable it. Associate Image Files with Paint 3D Manually Right-click on the Image File: Right-click on an image file. Select Properties: Choose "Properties" from the context menu. Change the Default Program: In the Properties window, click the "Change" button next to "Opens with." Manually Find Paint 3D: Click "More apps" if Paint 3D is not listed. Scroll down and click "Look for another app on this PC." Navigate to C:\Program Files\WindowsApps and look for the Paint 3D executable. Note that you may need administrative permissions to access this folder. Use the Default Apps Settings Open Settings: Press Win + I to open Settings. Go to Apps: Navigate to "Apps" and then "Default apps." Reset Default Apps: Scroll down and click "Reset" under "Reset to the Microsoft recommended defaults." Change Defaults Manually: After resetting, try setting Paint 3D as the default app for your image files again. Check for System Updates Open Settings: Press Win + I to open Settings. Go to Update & Security: Navigate to "Update & Security." Check for Updates: Click "Check for updates" and install any available updates. Sometimes updates can fix issues with system apps like Paint 3D. 1. Check if Paint 3D is Installed Correctly Open PowerShell as Administrator: Press Win + X and select "Windows PowerShell (Admin)." Check Installation: Enter the following command to check if Paint 3D is installed: powershell Copy code Get-AppxPackage *Microsoft.MSPaint* | Select Name, PackageFullName If Paint 3D is listed, it’s installed. If not, proceed to reinstall it. Reinstall Paint 3D: Uninstall Paint 3D using PowerShell: powershell Copy code Get-AppxPackage *Microsoft.MSPaint* | Remove-AppxPackage Reinstall from the Microsoft Store: Open the Microsoft Store, search for "Paint 3D," and install it. 2. Reset Paint 3D Open Settings: Press Win + I to open Settings. Go to Apps: Navigate to "Apps" > "Apps & features." Find Paint 3D: Scroll down and select "Paint 3D." Advanced Options: Click on "Advanced options." Reset: Click the "Reset" button. This will reset Paint 3D to its default state. 3. Create a New User Profile Open Settings: Press Win + I to open Settings. Go to Accounts: Navigate to "Accounts" > "Family & other users." Add Someone Else to This PC: Click on "Add someone else to this PC." Create a New User: Follow the prompts to create a new user account. Log In: Log out of your current account and log in with the new user account. Check if Paint 3D works correctly in the new profile. 4. Repair Windows Using DISM and SFC Open Command Prompt as Administrator: Press Win + X and select "Command Prompt (Admin)" or "Windows PowerShell (Admin)." Run DISM: Enter the following command to repair the Windows image: powershell Copy code DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth Wait for the process to complete. Run SFC: Enter the following command to check and repair system files: powershell Copy code sfc /scannow Wait for the process to complete and restart your computer.
Removing Old MS 365 Account
I had a Office 365 account under the discontinued educational organization license. The cloud storage was supposed to be disabled by MS at some point. So, I bought a personal Ofc 365 subscription. I tried to remove references to the old account and register my new license under a different email address, however my machine is still ate up with it, it still tries to save documents to that supposedly disabled Onedrive location and Office applications still confuse it. I scanned the system registry and there are hundreds of references to the old account & configuration. This is a problem on several of my home machines. How do I totally nuke that old account?Latest MS Trend: abysmal AI phone support
Hello, I've just tried three times the MS 365 Support Phone Hotline. The AI Bot is designed to just hang up or provide an aka.ms/??? link which exactly leads to the problem that I am trying to contact support for. Thanks for nothing. Hope you fire also the people that worked on the Bot and not only your support hotline staff. It seems there are none left. I am going to recommend my company to move to a different product and drop ms ai slop. Bye
