If your mobile number appears on TRAI's (Telecom Regulatory Authority of India) list of inactive or disconnected numbers, Zerodha freezes your demat account to prevent unauthorised access. You can unfreeze your account by updating your mobile number through Console .

Zerodha freezes accounts with deactivated numbers because they can get reassigned to someone else, risking exposure of your holdings. SEBI also requires all demat accounts to have an active mobile number so that OTPs and trade alerts reach only you.

When your account is frozen, you cannot sell stocks or make off-market transfers, and you stop receiving SMS alerts for stock credits.

How to unfreeze your account

To update the contact details, follow these steps:

1. Visit account.zerodha.com/account.
   
2. Click On Login.
   
3. Click on Contact details.
   
4. Select Mobile and click on Edit.
   
5. Enter the mobile number and click on Get OTP
   
6. Enter the OTP and click Continue.
   
7. Complete the In-Person Verification (IPV) by clicking on Capture. Ensure that your face is clearly visible.
   
8. Click on Continue.
   
9. Click on Sign-now, enter your Aadhaar, and click on Get OTP.
   
10. Click on Accept & continue.
    
11. Enter the OTP and click on Verify OTP.
    

Your account automatically unfreezes once Zerodha updates its records, which happens within 48 working hours.