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

Most of the replies above assume we we made a mistake.  Some of us were we're not ready to make the 'transition' to outlook.com just yet but needed to claims outlook.com email address before some else did in case we wanted to make the transition to outlook.com at a later date.

So we 'reserved' our outlook.com email address by adding it as an alias.

I for one do NOT accept that the suggested solution is to wait the 270 days. It wouldn't work if it was 30 days, 7, 1 or none.  If you delete your account the chances are pretty high some else will claim it after the time has elapsed, despite you setting a reminder, are we meant to refresh the page all day until it hopefully becomes available.

It's too risky and not a solution.

The only acceptable solution would be for Microsoft to provide us with the functionality to turn/merge aliases or linked accounts into the primary ID.

As outlook.com is a new service, I am still hopeful that one day Microsoft will provide this functionality, they obviously know that their users require the functionality so just maybe they're working on it until they get it right.

I was able to reopen the closed account, but I had renamed the account in attempts to free up the address before I knew the 270 days rule. Now I have the renamed account, yet still no access to the desired address I initially selected.

There has to be a way for MS to purge this after authenticating ownership somehow. Chris we appreciate your response, but the Outlook team needs to figure out a way to address this issue, there's quite a few experiencing this. Many of us have happily beta'd all the new MS offerings.

I agree with many of the sentiments above.

I find it hard to believe that Microsoft could not change the waiting period for address to recycle. This would solve everyone's issues.

What makes it worse is the fact that those of us here complaining are complaining as long time users of MS services, wishing to have the data from Xbox Live, Skydrive, AppHub subscriptions, previous MS emails, etc. all associated with our new outlook address.

I understand it was a mistake on the part of the users, but it was a very easy mistake in the land-rush for @outlook addresses. To be told that the only real solution is to wait 270 days just hurts...

At this point, I would just like to hear whether a solution is being considered or not. I understand it is not currently available, and likely won't be short term. But if the team is looking into something, I imagine a solution could arrive before the extremely large 270 window expires...

If there is zero chance of a solution being provided, I guess I  will delete my account and mark my calendar for sometime next year.

If you created a second account with an @outlook.com address we do not support the ability to merge accounts or to delete one and immediately add the address to another account. There are two choices.

One option is to delete the account and wait until we free up the email address and then create an alias to that address.

The second option is forward mail from your new @outlook.com account to your old @hotmail.com account, and then allow your old @hotmail.com account to send on behalf of your @outlook.com account. To do this:

=> Go to your new @outlook.com account, click settings and mail options, click email forwarding, and turn on email forwarding to your @hotmail.com account

=> Then go to your old @hotmail.com account, click to mail options, click sending and receiving mail from other accounts, and then add your @outlook.com account as an account to send from.

Hope this helps - Chris

Hi Chris, thanks for your reply, but obviously since you're saying that what we're asking for is not supported, your reply is no help whatsoever.

Can I ask what the point is of keeping the email "reserved" for 270 if somebody wants to close the account? And why that arbitrary number was chosen? If it can be set to 270 days, there is no reason why it couldn't be 30 days, or 7 days, or 0 days. Ideally you could provide the option to free up the address immediately for those that wanted it.

None of these suggestions, to my untrained eye, seem particularly difficult to implement. I could understand "sorry, that's how it is", if it were followed by, "but we're working on a solution for you guys", rather than telling us to like it or lump it.

I'm going to unmark the answers given, at least for the moment, because your responses give the false impression that our collective question has been resolved. It hasn't, it's being ignored.

Cheers