Recovering account without one of three stipulated forms of ID modlook

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  adlingtonhugh · Member · Apr 2, 2026 at 3:48 pm

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  This question is about: https://britishmiltonseminar.wordpress.com. Because I am unable to log in to it, I had to create a new account (http://questionaccount3.wordpress.com) just to be able to ask a question in this forum).

  For some reason, after 14 years of trouble-free blogging, when I logged in to my account yesterday (https://britishmiltonseminar.wordpress.com) I was told that I had entered an incorrect password. I checked and re-entered the correct password again, just to be sure, but with the same result. I tried the Reset Password option multiple times, but no email from WordPress ever arrived.

  I then tried to submit an Account Recovery Form, but was unable to do so. This is because I am unable to provide the specified ID due to the age and nature of the account (est. 2012, free plan, no 2FA available at the time). I am therefore requesting manual review based on institutional ownership.

  If a staff member or moderator can help me with this I would be very grateful. I do not understand why I should so suddenly be locked out an account that I have used successfully for so long.

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

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  kudufo · Member · Apr 3, 2026 at 8:31 am

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  Hi @adlingtonhugh

  Thank you for taking the time to explain your situation so clearly, and I completely understand how frustrating this must be — especially after 14 years of uninterrupted access. Let’s work through this together.

  What’s likely happening

  Sudden password failures on long-standing accounts are usually caused by one of the following:

  • A security-triggered password reset by WordPress.com (if unusual login activity was detected on the account)
  • The account email address being changed or deactivated over time, which is why the reset emails aren’t arriving
  • Rarely, an account merge or migration issue on WordPress.com’s end

  Why the reset emails aren’t arriving

  This is the most important clue. If password reset emails aren’t reaching you, it’s likely because the email address on the account is either:

  • An old institutional or university email that may have been retired or changed over 14 years
  • Being filtered into spam or blocked by your email provider

  Please check your spam/junk folder first. If nothing is there, the email on the account may no longer be active.

  What to do next

  Since the automated recovery route isn’t working for you, here’s the correct path forward:

  1. Submit a support ticket directly to WordPress.com at wordpress.com/help/contact — select “My account” as the topic. Explain exactly what you’ve told us here: 14-year-old account, institutional ownership, no 2FA was available when it was created, and that recovery emails aren’t arriving.
  2. In your support message, include:
     • The full URL: https://britishmiltonseminar.wordpress.com
     • Any previous email addresses that may have been associated with the account
     • Any posts, dates, or content details that prove ownership — the more specific the better
     • A statement that this is an institutionally owned blog (British Milton Seminar)
  3. The institutional angle matters — WordPress.com support can perform manual account reviews in cases like this. The fact that this is an established academic/institutional blog with 14 years of public content works strongly in your favour as proof of legitimate ownership.

  This forum is community-based and we aren’t able to access or modify accounts directly, but the WordPress.com support team absolutely can, and this is exactly the kind of case they handle.

  Hang in there — with the right information submitted, account recovery through support is very much possible. Please keep us posted on how it goes!

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  2020testjj · Member · Apr 3, 2026 at 11:04 am

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  Hi there, I see you added MODLOOK to the title of your forum post, so I went ahead and added it in the Tags section of this forum thread for staff attention and assistance.

  You are correct that you do need to be logged in to a different account than this one.

  Hopefully staff will help you sort this out. Thanks for your patience.

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  elcristofue · Staff · Apr 3, 2026 at 2:01 pm

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  Hi @adlingtonhugh! Thanks for letting us know about this.
  
  If I’m understanding you correctly, you’re having trouble accessing your old account and are not receiving the email to help you reset your password, right?

  If that’s the case, and you still have access to the email address associated with that account, could you please reach out to us directly at help@wordpress.com using that email address?

  Once you contact us from the correct email, we’ll be happy to help you further with this.

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  adlingtonhugh · Member · Apr 3, 2026 at 5:26 pm

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  Thanks @kudufo, @2020testjj, and @elcristofue for your helpful advice, I appreciate it very much.

  I have now emailed WordPress directly as advised, and hope they will be able to help me regain access to my account. I will mark this thread as ‘resolved’ if they can.

  Thanks again!