Account Recovery Loop: "Email already exists" when creating, but "Email could not be found" when logging in.

Question

Account Recovery Loop: "Email already exists" when creating, but "Email could not be found" when logging in.

Pixlyn 40

Hello,

I am writing to request assistance with an account recovery issue regarding a deleted Hotmail account.

I previously had a Hotmail email address which I later closed and deleted. Because this email is no longer active, I am currently unable to recover a third-party (EA) account linked to it. The third-party recovery system sends the reset link to my deleted Hotmail address, which I can no longer access.

I tried to recreate this exact same Hotmail address so I could receive the recovery link. However, the system does not allow it, stating that "this email already exists." Conversely, when I try to log into that exact same email address, the system says "such an email could not be found."

I am caught in a loop that prevents me from accessing my other services. Is there any way to recover, reactivate, or recreate this specific deleted email address so I can regain access to my third-party accounts?

Thank you.

0 comments

Answer accepted by question author

0 additional answers

Your answer

Answer 1

Hello

When a hotmail.com account is deleted and closed, I assume it has been more than the 30 or 60 days you set for the closing. If so, it is permanent; it cannot be recovered anymore.

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/accounts-billing/manage/reopen-your-microsoft-account

User's image

Microsoft does not allow recycling old usernames; hence, you will get the "account existed" error when you try to recreate it.

You will need to contact each of these third-party services and find out what account recovery methods they offered. For example, for a Microsoft account, if you lose your verification contact information, as long as you provide the correct password, there's a method to change it to a different security contact method to receive the verification code. So hopefully these other services provide similar recovery protocols.

Answer 2

If the deleted Hotmail address was closed, it cannot always be recreated immediately, and in some cases it may no longer be recoverable.

Supported paths are:

Check whether the address is still recognized as a Microsoft account by trying to sign in at the Microsoft account sign-in page.
- If a password prompt appears, the address is still a Microsoft account.
- If the message says "We couldn't find an account with that username" or "That Microsoft account doesn't exist," check the spelling and domain carefully.
If the username or password stopped working, use Recover your account and try any other alias or phone number that was previously attached to the account.
If the account is not recognized, use the Sign-in Helper tool.
If the account was inactive for more than two years, it may have been deleted and can no longer be reopened.
If the account was closed recently and is still recoverable, use the Microsoft account recovery process. If filling out the recovery form, use a device and location previously used with that account, and provide a working email address for the response.
After submitting the recovery form, Microsoft sends the result to the working email within 24 hours. If verification fails, the form can be retried up to two times per day.

Important limitation:

If two-step verification had been turned on and none of the alternate verification methods are accessible, support agents cannot reset the password or change account details.

If the exact address shows as unavailable for creation but also not found at sign-in, the supported Microsoft guidance is to use Sign-in Helper first, then the account recovery process, and if the username still is not found, use Contact support from the username-stopped-working flow.

References: