I created a new Outlook.com email address instead of renaming existing. How can I free up the new account?

Anonymous
2012-08-02T19:07:20+00:00

Hi,

Before realising I could transfer/upgrade/rename my existing Live account to an outlook.com address, I created a new one in error. After realising my mistake, I deleted/closed the newly created outlook.com address then attempted to rename my current Live account to the now closed outlook.com account. Unfortunately I am not able to as I'm told I will need to wait 270 days before the account I created will be available for use.

Clearly I can prove I created the outlook.com account as I have all the security details. Is there any way of freeing up the account immediately?

Additionally, I am not the only person who has made this mistake, several of us jumped in feet-first. Below are a selection of links to people asking the same question. None of us have had a useful reply yet. Please can somebody provide us with a solution (other than mark your diary for 270 days from now)?

http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windowslive/forum/hotmail-wlsettings/changing-outlookcom-address-to-an-existing/886b6276-6449-4e45-b48c-a49b8f83e080

http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windowslive/forum/hotmail-signin/link-new-outlookcom-back-to-current-hotmailcom-as/c0fa4c63-abd4-41f4-9af0-0eef6613cb79

http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windowslive/forum/hotmail-profile/need-my-deleted-outlookcom-address-removed-so-i/47938c0c-00a0-455c-9b2b-65967a5232a7

http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windowslive/forum/hotmail-profile/i-created-a-new-outlookcom-address-before-i/4ea80c6a-207e-415f-a582-27012bdd8a61

http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windowslive/forum/hotmail-profile/can-i-migrate-my-hotmail-account-to-outlookcom/2dfb4ac4-15fe-487e-84b9-34a1f212cc01

http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windowslive/forum/hotmail-profile/i-want-to-delete-the-outlookcom-address-i-just/f6eaee9f-8b3f-4f12-bcef-1ba9c9e9edee

http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windowslive/forum/hotmail-signin/2-accounts-cannot-delete-outlookcom-account-to/95814928-3c46-4997-b931-d5e7c90eeb24

http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windowslive/forum/liveid-profile/get-old-livecom-services-migrated-to-new/b3606625-e405-4d7f-8451-014858efdcbb

http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windowslive/forum/liveid-signin/livecom-to-outlookcom-account-migration-issue/21de410a-0763-40ae-8ae6-6fa5b0fd63df

http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windowslive/forum/hotmail-signin/is-there-a-way-to-just-have-my-outlookcom-added-as/137e5ece-8690-4c2d-82ad-664011472428

http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windowslive/forum/hotmail-signin/how-do-i-cancel-an-outlookcom-account-and-register/87528db5-669f-458a-be5c-23a7b711fd53

http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windowslive/forum/hotmail-signin/opened-new-outlookcom-address-but-meant-to-switch/22834f04-7e0b-47e0-a979-833ba7ead936

http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windowslive/forum/hotmail-profile/how-change-hotmailcom-to-outlookcom/c055446e-69de-4a6e-a3d8-7024139d0274

http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windowslive/forum/hotmail-profile/outlookcom-account-deletion-problem/47cb7083-fa51-4684-a18a-a03bf2cc1c51

http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windowslive/forum/hotmail-signin/is-there-a-way-to-delete-my-outlookcom-email/79d03deb-9e0d-409a-958e-e473564e6e24

http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windowslive/forum/hotmail-signin/outlookcom-new-account-by-mistake/50c748ef-3001-420f-aef6-ea5e59ce867b

http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windowslive/forum/liveid-profile/i-created-a-new-outlookcom-address-instead-of/0bae11d5-94c2-4c77-9659-d2306d3d85da

http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windowslive/forum/liveid-profile/is-it-possible-to-delete-my-outlookcom-account/fda758b8-d6f0-42ff-aaad-ea8cb2cd625f

http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windowslive/forum/hotmail-profile/merging-outlookcom-and-hotmail-accounts/dc0fc660-6485-4f78-a2c4-e3b5d9193407

http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windowslive/forum/hotmail-signin/mergelink-hotmailcom-account-with-the-new/91b4a27f-5517-4f76-b448-02eb16efa8fc

Cheers

Outlook | Web | Outlook.com | Account management, security, and privacy

Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.

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Anonymous
2012-08-10T17:33:21+00:00

Hi Everyone,

Merging accounts is currently not available for Microsoft accounts. This issue has been reported to our Senior Support Team and they are currently looking into this. Well be sending updates once all the details are complete.

I will be locking this thread now. For workarounds please refer to my post last August 6, 2012.

Thank you all for your patience and cooperation.

Regards,

Jen

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  1. Anonymous
    2012-08-03T19:27:13+00:00

    I need an answer too. I want my old @live.com to merge/transfer to outlook.com and make it my main Microsoft Account. 

    Login to your newly created outlook.com account.

    Click on the Small Settings Icon on the Top Right, then -> More Mail Settings.

    Click on the below setting from the options.

    "Sending/receiving email from other accounts"

    Inbox>Options>Sending/receiving email from other accounts

    Add your old Hotmail/Live account there, you can now receive your old mails in the new @outlook.com mailbox.

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  2. Anonymous
    2012-08-03T19:20:49+00:00

    Hello Ryniel,

     

    I would like to know the following.

    I created a new outlook.com account (without knowing that I could simply switch my hotmail account to outlook.com). I have then renamed that account to an other email address I own.

    Does it also take 270 days to release the username of that outlook.com account? Because I renamed it, I cannot re-active that outlook.com account (because I renamed it), so maybe it will only take a few days in this case?

     

    Thanks in advance.

     

    Best regards.

    Login to your newly created outlook.com account.

    Click on the Small Settings Icon on the Top Right, then More Mail Settings.

    Inbox>Options>Sending/receiving email from other accounts

    Add your old Hotmail/Live account there.

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  3. Anonymous
    2012-08-03T19:14:26+00:00

    That's not really helpful considering the problem in THIS thread is:

    People made NEW outlook.com accounts because Microsoft was not clear on the process and NOW either want to merge those accounts with their old live.com accounts OR delete the new outlook.com account and not wait 270 days so they can bring it in as an alias...

     Agreed, I wasn't clear on this either, gave out the new address to potential employers, really in a bind now. 

    There has to be a way to purge the old records and access the account data, renaming it.

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  4. Anonymous
    2012-08-03T08:29:17+00:00

    Hello Ryniel,

    I would like to know the following.

    I created a new outlook.com account (without knowing that I could simply switch my hotmail account to outlook.com). I have then renamed that account to an other email address I own.

    Does it also take 270 days to release the username of that outlook.com account? Because I renamed it, I cannot re-active that outlook.com account (because I renamed it), so maybe it will only take a few days in this case?

    Thanks in advance.

    Best regards.

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