We've spoken before how about crucial it is to keep your Xbox account safe, and a new "investigation" highlights how much a problem you could face if your account gets blocked — and specifically if it gets banned.
Windows Central editor Jez Corden says he's been "investigating" reports of banned Xbox accounts for almost a year, and it's "rare to get anything back" in that situation. Not only could you lose all your digital Xbox purchases, but stuff like OneDrive photos and important documents could be no longer accessible either.
Even though Jez mentions "banned" accounts here, the one he's responding to relates to a "hacked" account, and others chimed in to mention how they'd had mixed experiences with trying to recover hacked accounts:
Ultimately, it sounds like a hacked Xbox account can still be recovered in certain cases with enough persistence, but getting banned is a particularly big risk — you might really struggle to get anything back if that happens.
This isn't a situation that's limited to just Xbox, of course, and the solution is the same across most platforms; make sure you abide by the rules to avoid getting banned, and do everything you can to keep your account safe.
Microsoft provides a bunch of safety features that you can use as well, including 2FA (two-factor authentication) and the ability to set up a passwordless account. We've got a guide to these elsewhere on Pure Xbox if you're interested in learning more, and we'd suggest it's definitely worth taking the time to ensure your account is as protected as possible.