Change email

Dear Mark Logan,

Thank you for reaching out to the Microsoft Q&A Forum.

Thank you for your clarification. This is a very clear and common situation. The core of the problem lies in the answer to question #4: "It was linked to another account but is no longer. That account was closed."

The issue is that from Microsoft's perspective, the "closed" account isn't fully closed, or the email alias hasn't been released. Most likely because the old account you closed is still within a 60-day grace period before permanent deletion.

Here are my recommended steps:

You will need to temporarily recover that old "closed" account to permanently release the email address.

Step-by-Step guide:

1. Recover the Old Account:

We need to quickly sign back into that old account you closed.

• Go to the Microsoft sign-in page and enter the email address that was closed.
• Click "Forgot my password" and follow the steps to reset the password. You'll likely need access to its recovery email or phone number to do this.

2. Prepare the Old Account to Release the Email:

Once you're in the old account, go to Your Info and find "Manage how you sign in to Microsoft."

• First, we need to give this old account a new address to use. Click "Add email" – the easiest way is to create a new, free @outlook.com address right there.
• Now, set this new address as the "Primary Alias."
• Now you can safely click "Remove" next to the email address you want to use. You've just officially released it.

3. Add the Email to Your Business Account:

• Sign out of the old account and sign back into your current business account.
• Go back to Your Info and "Add email." This time, it should accept it without any trouble.
• You can now set it as your primary address and remove your old one.

Important Note:

• "Closing" an account is not instant. When you request to close a Microsoft account, there is a 30-60 day grace period during which the account can be reactivated. It's highly probable the user requested closure but the account was still in this pending state, locking the alias.
• This process is the only way. Unfortunately, there is no way to bypass this. Microsoft designed it this way for security—to prevent someone from hijacking an email address from a valid, even if dormant account.

I know it's a couple of extra steps, but this process is mandatory to transfer an email between two Microsoft accounts. The system will not allow the same email to exist on two separate accounts simultaneously.

Please let me know how it goes.

If you require additional assistance, please don't hesitate to reach out!

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