College life is already stressful. Between lectures, assignments, and cramming for quizzes, students rely heavily on online tools to stay afloat—especially when it comes to writing essays. But what happens when those lifeline tools suddenly lock you out?
TLDR: Students were thrown into panic mid-semester when their favorite essay subscription tools locked them out. Issues ranged from payment glitches to account verification fails. We’ve listed the top 5 tools that caused trouble—and the simple steps students used to recover access. Knowing these ahead of time might just save your semester!
1. Grammarly
Why it locked students out: Grammarly accounts locked users for “unusual activity,” often mislabeling shared accounts or VPN usage.
What students experienced: Suddenly, their real-time grammar checker and essay suggestion buddy went unavailable. With term papers due, chaos erupted.
How students recovered:
- Email Verification: Grammarly required users to validate their identity by clicking a link in their email.
- Support Ticket: If verification didn’t work, submitting a support ticket with a screenshot of the error sped things up.
- Wait Time: Average response was 2-3 days. Painful? Yes. Recoverable? Also yes.
2. Turnitin
Why it locked students out: Turnitin accounts were suspended halfway through the semester due to school licensing issues or profile mismatches.
What students experienced: Without Turnitin, they couldn’t submit their assignments. Professors got mad, students got more stressed.
How students recovered:
- Contact the Instructor: Since Turnitin is usually tied to a class license, students reached out to their professor for help.
- Recreate Account: Some universities reset accounts, requiring students to sign up again using a fresh school email link.
- Institution Troubleshooting: Campus IT support usually had the final say in restoring access.
3. Quillbot
Why it locked students out: Users sharing logins or switching devices too often triggered an auto-lockout from Quillbot.
What students experienced: The AI tool they used to paraphrase, summarize, and simplify tricky concepts suddenly vanished from their toolbox. Panic mode: activated.
How students recovered:
- Password Reset: The fastest way to unlock the account was to change the password immediately.
- Contact Support: If that didn’t work, they headed to Quillbot’s live chat feature. Most got help within 24 hours.
- Avoid “device swapping”: Once back in, they stuck to a single computer to avoid repeat locks.
4. Scribbr
Why it locked students out: Scribbr triggered lockouts during payment renewal cycles, especially when bank cards declined or expired.
What students experienced: Midway through editing a paper, they got hit with a frozen screen and a message: “Access Disabled.”
How students recovered:
- Update Payment Info: This was the #1 fix. A new card number or re-entering the old one got them back in.
- Confirm Email: If payment went through but they were still locked out, clicking the “confirm access” button from Scribbr’s email did the trick.
- Invoice Support: For scholarship or school-funded accounts, students had to email Scribbr with proof of funding.
5. EssayPro
Why it locked students out: EssayPro froze accounts over suspected violations like “multiple accounts” or IP mismatches.
What students experienced: They lost access to in-progress work, chat threads with writing experts, and uploaded draft files.
How students recovered:
- Submit Identity Proof: Students had to upload a student ID or valid school email screenshot to verify legitimacy.
- Reach Out via Social Media: Weirdly enough, contacting EssayPro through Twitter or Instagram got faster responses than email
- Keep Everything Backed Up: Those who kept drafts offline felt less of a sting during the lockout.
Pro Tips To Avoid Locks in the First Place
Let’s face it—getting locked out of your essay helper during finals is terrifying. Here’s how to avoid it:
- Always use your student email when signing up for academic tools.
- Don’t share logins with friends. We know it’s tempting, but it’s risky.
- Keep backups of essays and drafts in Google Docs or OneDrive.
- Set calendar reminders for subscription renewals.
- Limit how often you switch devices—especially for tools with strict security.
What To Do If You’re Still Locked Out
If you’ve tried everything and you’re still stuck, don’t panic. Here’s a recovery checklist:
- Take a screenshot of the error or lockout message.
- Check your spam folder for any tool-related emails.
- Contact customer support and submit a ticket.
- Let your professor know! They might give you an extension.
- Join student forums or Reddit threads—others may have quick fixes.
Real Student Stories
Jasmine (History Major): “I lost access to Grammarly right before my thesis submission. I cried for 17 minutes straight. But all I needed to do was verify my email again. Annoying, but easy.”
Marcus (Comp Sci): “Quillbot locked me out for switching between my laptop and phone. I had to talk to a support bot at midnight. I reset my password, and boom—back online.”
Lily (Psychology): “EssayPro thought I was a spammer because I logged in from two libraries in one day. I DMed them on Instagram and got help in literally 30 minutes. Shoutout to their social team.”
Final Thoughts
Getting locked out of your essay tools mid-semester feels like the tech gods turned against you. But most of these problems have fast, simple solutions. Half the battle is knowing what triggers the lock and how to reach support.
Bookmark this article, keep your cool, and remember: even when tools fail you, you’ve got what it takes to bounce back.