Fix ‘Your Account Has Been Locked’ (0x80a40014) Error on Xbox One
The ‘Your account has been locked’ error appears when some Xbox One users attempt to Log in with their Microsoft account on their console. The error message is accompanied by the error code 0x80a40014. Affected users are unable to access any digitally owned games or retrieve any saved game data from the account.
What’s causing the ‘Your account has been locked’ (0x80a40014) on Xbox One?
- Microsoft Server issue – Upon investigating past occurrences of this issue, it’s entirely possible that you’re seeing this error message due to a server-side problem that ended up blocking entire blocks of Microsoft accounts due to a false positive. In this case, you should confirm the issue and in case there’s indeed a problem with the core services, you switch the console to Offline mode in order to use the console (in Single-player mode) until the issue is fixed by Microsoft’s engineers.
- Local Glitch – As it’s been confirmed by several affected users, this particular issue can also occur due to a locally stored cache file that’s fooling your console’s OS into believing that the current account is locked (even after the issue was resolved). In this case, you can resolve the issue by deleting the locally stored profile and performing a power-cycling procedure before re-downloading the profile back.
- Microsoft ToS violation – This particular error can also appear in instances where the owner of the Microsoft account has violated the ToS. In most cases, aggressive player behavior, piracy or phishing practices will determine Microsoft to lock the account without further notice. If this scenario is applicable, the only viable repair strategy is to get in touch with the Microsoft Support team.
- Repeated failed sign-in attempts – If the Microsoft account tied that you use on your Xbox console has been the subject of repeated failed sign-up attempts, it’s entirely possible that Microsoft blocked off your account for security purposes. In most cases, access will be resumed automatically after 24 hours, but in case it’s not, getting in touch with the Support team should allow you to fix the issue.
Method 1: Checking the status of Xbox Live servers
As it turns out, the ‘Your account has been locked’ (0x80a40014) error can also occur due to a server issue that is beyond your control. After investigating the issue, we determined that this issue has happened a few times in the past.
In each occurrence, Microsoft eventually confirmed that the problem was being caused by a server issue that ended up automatically blocking or disabling a wide array of Microsoft accounts due to false positives. Fortunately, whenever there’s an issue of this kind, Microsoft is typically quick in announcing the problems.
If this scenario is applicable and you’re suspecting that you might be dealing with a server issue, you should start by checking the official Microsoft Xbox Live status page (here). Open the status page with your default browser and see if any Microsoft services are affected.
If you manage to find evidence that some services are affected (especially Xbox Live Core services), chances are the issue is beyond your control. You can also check the official Xbox Twitter page and look for any announcements regarding this issue.
In case Microsoft is indeed having issues with registered accounts, there are no viable fixes for this particular issue. The only choice left in this case is to wait patiently until the issue is resolved.
You can still use your console, but you need to switch it to Offline mode and limit yourself to single-player games and digital content that was already verified. Follow the method directly below for steps on switching your console to Offline mode.
Method 2: Switching to Offline Mode
If the issue is being caused by a Microsoft server issue, you might be able to avoid the 0x80a40014 error entirely by switching your console to Offline mode. While you might be able to avoid the ownership validation that’s triggering the error message, going this route also means that your console will essentially be cut off from any online features.
Multiplayer games, streaming services and any other app function that requires an Internet connection will no longer be available while Offline mode is enabled.
If you understand the consequences and you want to go ahead with the potential fix, here’s a quick guide on switching your console to Offline mode:
- With your console fully powered on, press the Xbox button on your controller to open up the guide menu. Next, once you get to the correct menu, use the tabs at the top to make your way to the network settings window (Settings > System > Settings > Network)
- When you finally manage to arrive to the Network menu, select the Network settings menu from the left-hand side. Then, on the next window, select Go Offline and press the A button on your controller to enable it. Select Yes when you are prompted to confirm your choice.
Going Offline on Xbox One - After you manage to get this far, your console should be already in Offline mode. Upon restarting your console, your local profile signing in process should complete without the ‘Your account has been locked’ (0x80a40014).
In case the issue wasn’t applicable or you’re still encountering the same ‘Your account has been locked’ (0x80a40014) error, move down to the final fix below.
Method 3: Deleting Profile and Power cycling the Xbox console
As it’s been confirmed by several affected users, the issue can also occur locally due to the locally stored cache file that is fooling your console’s OS into thinking that the account is locked without even checking with the Microsoft server.
Several affected users that also encountered the issue locally have managed to get the issue resolved by deleting the profile from their console, performing a power cycling procedure and then re-downloading the profile black on the system.
Here’s a quick guide on doing this on a Xbox One console:
- Open your Xbox One console and press the Xbox menu on the controller to bring up the guide menu. Once you see it, navigate to Settings > All Settings and press the A button to access it.
Opening All settings – Xbox - Once you manage to get inside the Settings menu, go to the Accounts tab. Then, move over to the right-hand side and select Remove accounts before clicking the A button to access it.
Accessing the Remove Accounts men - From the next menu, select the account (profile) that you want to remove and then confirm the removal process at the next prompt.
- After you do this, exit the settings menu and return to the main dashboard.
- Press the Xbox button (on your console, not on your controller) and keep it pressed for about 10 seconds or until you see that the front LED stops flashing.
Performing a hard reset - After you release the power button, wait for at least one full minute before powering the console again. This ensures that the power capacitors are fully drained and that the power-cycling procedure is completed successfully. As an extra step, you can also physically disconnect the power cable from the power outlet and wait for a couple of seconds before plugging it back on.
- Start your console again conventionally and keep a lookout at the initial screens. If you see the initial Xbox starting the animation, take it as confirmation that the power-cycling procedure was successful.
Xbox One Starting Animation - After the console boots back up, try to sign in with your Microsoft account once again and see if the issue is now resolved.
If the same ‘Your account has been locked’ (0x80a40014) error is still occurring when you try to log in with your Microsoft account, move down to the next method below.
Method 4: Contact Xbox Support
If none of the potential fixes above have allowed you to find the reason why your account has been restricted, the only viable course of action by now is to contact the support team of Xbox.
If you don’t want to wait, you can start by getting in touch with a virtual agent. Provide the error message and error code, and you will be given a series of troubleshooting steps that you should follow to resolve the issue. To get started, visit this link (here) and click on Ask a question.
If you don’t mind the waiting times, you can get in touch with a live Microsoft agent that will happily look into the matter for you.
But keep in mind that phone support is notoriously slow and works around a fixed schedule. If your time zone is not really compatible with PT, your best choice will be to use the Webchat option (available 24/7).
To get started, simply click on Contact Us, then select Account & Profile from the list of available options. Then under What’s the issue? select ‘I can’t sign in to Xbox Live‘ and click Next to continue.
Then, at the next window, click on Get help with sign-in issues and choose the preferred way of opening a support investigation on your account.
