Our ground rules
Responsible Use: What PlayVault Will and Won't Help With
PlayStation restores access through your sign-in email or, when that fails, through PlayStation Support; Microsoft through your security info or its account recovery form. Our guides follow the same line. This page sets out what we explain, what we refuse, and how we treat anything you send us.
Never send us passwords or codes; if you already did, change them on the official site right away.
Verified October 2026 against PlayStation, Xbox and Microsoft support pages.
What we do, and what we never do
What PlayVault does
- Explain the official recovery, security and appeal routes PlayStation and Xbox publish
- Link you straight to PlayStation Support, Microsoft account and Xbox enforcement pages
- Help you gather the ownership details Support or the recovery form may ask about
- Show you how to lock down your own account once you are back in
- Explain family settings a parent uses openly for a child they manage
What PlayVault never does
- Help anyone get into a PSN or Microsoft account that is not their own
- Show ways around 2-step verification, backup codes or recovery codes
- Help dodge a suspension, strike or device ban with new accounts or spoofed hardware
- Buy, sell, trade or transfer accounts, subscriptions or game licenses
- Help monitor another adult's play, messages or purchases in secret
If a request only works when the real owner does not know about it, we will not help with it; if you are the owner, the official route is the one that works.
Who these guides are for
PlayVault guides apply to accounts you own, or to a child's account you manage as the family organizer or parent, and only through the platforms' own tools.
Fine on your own
- Recovering your own PSN account through PlayStation's sign-in help or PlayStation Support
- Recovering your own Xbox sign-in account through Microsoft's account recovery form, when two-step verification is off; with two-step on and no method left, Microsoft says it can't help
- Reading your own enforcement record and, where eligible, using Xbox's case review or the PSN suspension details in My Support
- Reporting charges you didn't make to PlayStation Support or Xbox Support; on PSN, a chargeback from your bank suspends the account while PlayStation investigates
Only with the person's consent
- Parental controls and family settings on a child's account, set up openly and explained to the child
- Helping a family member recover their account while they stay in control of every step and code
- Signing out or removing a shared console, with the other people who use it told first
Never
- Signing in to, taking over or "testing" an account that isn't yours
- Getting past 2-step verification, codes or recovery checks on an account
- Evading a ban through new accounts, console ID changes or network tricks
- Buying, selling or sharing accounts, or using subscriptions obtained with stolen cards
- Secretly tracking another person's activity, messages or location
Requests we turn down, and where to go instead
Each refusal has a platform rule or legal reason behind it, and an honest next step.
| Request | Why not | Where to go instead |
|---|---|---|
| "Unban" an account or console | Only Xbox or PlayStation can reverse their own enforcement, and Xbox says device bans aren't eligible for case review. | Check whether it qualifies for case review on the Enforcements page of Xbox Support, or check My Support and the notice email for your PSN suspension details. |
| Turn off 2-step verification for you | Microsoft says its support agents can't send verification codes or change account details; on PlayStation, restoring access without your codes goes through PlayStation Support. | Use your saved backup or recovery code, or the platform's recovery route. |
| Speed up a recovery form or a waiting period | Microsoft gives reply times from 24 hours to up to 5 working days and asks you not to resubmit without new information. | Submit one complete form and resend only when you have new details. |
| Get into a partner's, friend's or seller's account | We help only the account owner, and using an account without its owner's permission may be illegal where you live. | Ask the owner directly. If money was taken from your own account, report it to PlayStation Support or Xbox Support. |
| Recover a subscription or account you bought from a third party | Microsoft advises against sharing account info even with people you know, and PlayStation's terms ask you to safeguard your sign-in details. | Report it to PlayStation Support or Xbox Support; on PSN, a chargeback suspends the account while PlayStation investigates. Start fresh on your own account. |
How we handle what you send us
Credentials deleted
If a message contains a password or code, we delete it and do not use it.
Report impersonators
If someone claiming to be PlayVault asks for codes, report it to the platform.
General pointers only
Any reply points you to an official page; we don't handle individual account cases.
Sent a code already?
Change that password and renew your codes on the platform's own site.
PlayVault is independent and not affiliated with Sony Interactive Entertainment, PlayStation, Microsoft or Xbox.
Questions
Can PlayVault recover my account for me?
No. We are not a recovery service. Only PlayStation or Microsoft can return an account, and they do it through their own sign-in help, Support and recovery form, which our guides walk you through.
Why won't you help with an account that isn't mine, even if I know the person?
Because PlayStation and Microsoft recover an account through its owner's own email, security info or Support contact, so we write only for the owner. We also treat access without permission as off limits, and it may be illegal where you live. A family member should follow the guide themselves and keep their own codes.
Can I use your guides to set up parental controls?
Yes, for a child whose account you manage as the family organizer or parent, set up openly so the child knows. We don't cover watching another adult's account.
I pasted my password or a code into a message to you. What now?
We delete it without using it. To be safe, change that password on the official PlayStation or Microsoft site and create new backup or recovery codes there.