Microsoft account locked and the verification text never arrives

once you're unlocked, change the password straight away. a lock like that usually means it noticed someone else trying to sign in or sending spam from it, so the old password should be treated as known.

the unlock code doesn't have to go to the number on your account. any mobile that can receive texts works, so borrow a family member's phone and put their number in. worth knowing why it fails too: internet/VoIP numbers usually won't receive it, and some carriers block those short-code texts entirely. if you've hit the limit for today it'll stop sending until tomorrow, so don't keep hammering it.