Account Recovery (unable to submit form)

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  greatparadise8a4dfe49bc · Member · Jun 1, 2026 at 9:09 am

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  I lost access to the email address I used to created my Gravatar profile. I’m unable to log into that WordPress account because the verification code is sent to a deactivated inbox.
  When I signed up and chose a domain, I added my contact information: my phone number, billing address, my VAT number, and my full name. I have a screenshot from that process on November 2, 2025, and can prove my identity to prove ownership. I’ve also received a code to activate my Gravatar account that day which is captured in that screenshot.
  Unfortunately I can’t submit your “account recovery” form because “The activation key does not appear to be valid”. I have no “transaction ID” because the Gravatar domain is free for the 1st year (I’ll only be charged at renewal, in 6 months). I don’t have 2FA or another option to authenticate.
  I’d need to update the email associated with my account so that I can access it. Its billing profile contains my personal VAT number, name, and credit card details. I’d really appreciate your help. Kind regards, Teresa

  The blog I need help with is: (visible only to logged in users)

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  guilhermerodias · Member · Jun 1, 2026 at 11:25 am

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  Hi Teresa,

  I’m sorry to hear you’re going through this. Losing access to your registered email is really stressful, especially when the standard recovery options aren’t working!

  Since this needs to be handled by Automattic’s official support team, here’s what I’d recommend:

  Contact Automattic/WordPress.com support directly at https://wordpress.com/help/contact and explain your situation. When you reach out, make sure to include:

  • Your domain name
  • Your full name, billing address, and VAT number as registered on the account
  • Your phone number on file
  • The screenshot from November 2, 2025 showing your signup and Gravatar activation code
  • A note that the account recovery form returned “The activation key does not appear to be valid”

  That documentation sounds very solid for proving ownership, and their Happiness Engineers should be able to manually verify your identity and update the email address on your account.

  Since you have a renewal coming up in about 6 months, it’s worth contacting them sooner rather than later to make sure everything is sorted in time.

  I hope they get you back in quickly!

  Best regards,

  Guilherme Rodrigues

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  csabarakasz · Staff · Jun 1, 2026 at 2:43 pm

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  Thank you, @guilhermerodias for the excellent advices here.

  Dear, @greatparadise8a4dfe49bc. guilhermerodias is correct. Please email us these information you mentioned above and we will help you recover your account as fast as we can. You can email us at help@wordpress.com directly.

  Since we won’t be able to further assist via a public forum regarding account recovery, I will close this topic, but we are looking forward to hearing from you via email.