Issue with an inactive account

For a Microsoft account, email addresses are managed as aliases. It is possible to add, remove, or change them from the Your info page at https://account.live.com/names/manage.

Steps:

1. Sign in to Edit account info.
2. Select Add email to add another address, or select Remove next to an existing address.
3. If the goal is to keep the account but use a different sign-in address, add the new address first and then make it the primary alias.

Important details:

• Aliases on the same Microsoft account share the same password, contacts, subscriptions, online storage, and account settings.
• Verification codes sent by email can only be sent to the primary alias or another email added as a way to verify sign-in.
• An organization may restrict adding its email addresses.
• If the address involved is a work or school account, changes may need to be made by the organization’s Microsoft 365 administrator rather than by the account owner.
• If sign-in is blocked or the account details cannot be changed, use the Sign-in helper or Contact Microsoft Support. Support agents cannot send password reset links or directly change protected account details.

If the issue is specifically that the old email belongs to a work or school identity tied to the account, the next step is to contact the organization’s admin or internal help desk to have that address changed or removed.

• Change the email address for your Microsoft account
• How to add an email address to your Microsoft account
• Find the administrator for your work or school account