Lost access to old Atlassian tenant

[Kim Orlov]

Hello

We migrated our Atlassian tenant to merge with another existing Atlassian tenant. The plan was to keep old Atlassian tenant for backup purposes with just one admin account to be able to access it. But as of now we are completely locked out of the old Atlassian Cloud tenant.

- SAML enforced via Atlassian Access
- Single remaining admin account tied to SAML
- IdP access no longer possible
- No local / break-glass admin exists

This tenant is retained for backup purposes only.
We require temporary SAML disablement or admin recovery.

We can provide domain or billing verification immediately.

[Shashank Dubey]

Hi @Kim Orlov ,

This is unfortunately a common edge case when an Atlassian Cloud tenant is left with:
SAML enforced via Atlassian Access
Only one remaining admin
That admin account tied to the IdP
No break-glass (local) admin
IdP access no longer available
When that happens, the site becomes completely inaccessible.
Why this happens
When SAML is enforced through Atlassian Access:
Local password login is disabled
All managed accounts must authenticate through the IdP
If the IdP is unavailable (or the app is removed from it), login becomes impossible
If no unmanaged/site-admin account exists, there is no self-service recovery path.
Important: Community Cannot Unlock It
The Atlassian Community cannot disable SAML or restore access.
This requires Atlassian Support intervention.
What You Need to Do (Recovery Path)
Since this is a backup-only tenant and you can provide billing/domain proof, you’re in the best possible position for recovery.

1️⃣ Raise a Critical Support Ticket Immediately
Go to: 👉 https://support.atlassian.com/contact/⁠�
Select:
Atlassian Access
Account access issue
Mark as Unable to access site / Admin lockout
Clearly state:
Tenant URL
That SAML is enforced
No break-glass admin exists
IdP access is no longer possible
You require temporary SAML disablement or admin reassignment

2️⃣ Provide Verification
Be ready to provide:
Billing account number
Invoice copy
Verified domain ownership
Org ID (if known)
Proof of ownership from domain email
Support will likely require ownership validation before action.
What Atlassian Support Can Do
In these cases, Support can:
Temporarily disable SAML enforcement
Promote a verified user to Org Admin
Remove domain claim (in extreme cases)
Restore access to at least one account
This is handled by the Identity team and may take 1–3 business days depending on verification speed.
To Prevent This in the Future :
For any Atlassian Cloud site using SAML:
 Always maintain at least one unmanaged break-glass admin account
l Exclude that account from SAML enforcement
 Store credentials securely offline
 Document IdP ownership and renewal responsibilities
This prevents full tenant lockout.

I hope this may help you out.

[Kim Orlov]

Hello, Shashank

And thanks for the prompt reply.
The link you provided is not working.

Been looking for "the" link myself via where to contact Atlassian support as I'm not able to log in with the previous tenant user.

[Shashank Dubey]

Hey @Kim Orlov

Atlassian Support https://share.google/pscJROXbAlsq7MnDL

OR

support.atlassian.com 

Check on these once Kim may this can be of some help.