Switch Hotmail Email Account

[gemz4the1]

Is it possible to amend the name of an email account (Hotmail) or create a new one and still have the emails from the old email address diverted to the new one without others having to add a new email address to their contacts?

[gemz4the1]

Hi Seacat.

I have done that and clicked add alias.  I get 2 options -

1) create an alias and a new email address

2) create an alias with an existing email address.

I tried option 1) and it wouldn't work so I thought it'd work if I created the email address thay I wanted, set it up and then went back to that page to do option 2) but now it says that I can't do it as the email address has already been created.

[Anonymous]

Option #1 is what I use, aka 'Create a new email address and add it as an alias.'

So, when in the account overview, specifically under 'Account aliases', what do you see there (any email addresses listed)?

[gemz4the1]

It just says the default account which is the one I always use.

I even tried to delete the new email address in a hope that I could add it as new again but it says that it has to be deactivated and then 'no activity for a while'

[Anonymous]

Curious. If you done option #1 it should have added an alias email under there as well as sent an email to you several seconds later informing you that your new email alias was ready to use.

Could you completely clear your browser cache, close the browser and open it again, relog into your email account, go into more mail settings then 'Manage your account aliases'

Is the alias you created there? or still missing, which if it is still missing, it sounds like for whatever reason, when you went via option #1, something bugged out.

[gemz4the1]

I doubt it'll let me create an alias as I have already created the email address separately so I think i've buggered it up.......

I'll give it a try though

[Anonymous]

Oh that isn't for creating what already exists. It's just to see if your web browser is tripping out or not.

[gemz4the1]

I did what you said and still the same.  I have took a screenshot of the options that I have and what happens when I try to add it.

[Anonymous]

So in a nut shell, you went to account settings > add or change aliases > Left it at the default Option #1, put in a name and confirmed it was OK to proceed.

It created the email account, but it sounds like it failed to do the 'on the fly' stuff which consists of A) silently linking it to your account and then B) sending you out a confirmation email about the completion of the process. So in effect, the email address you want is floating in the nether, not attached to anything and now out of the available name pool.

I have two outlook (hotmail) accounts, between them they have about 14 aliases registered to them. I always use the default option #1 when creating an alias and never ran into this issue.

As a TEST, have you tried adding another alias (you can always remove it afterwards) to see if the process goes through ok the second time you add an alias? Does the test alias properly create or does it not?

And in a complete longshot, log out of your hotmail. Then try to login with the name+chosen domain you set for the problem alias, using the same password you log into main email account with. Does it work? Yes? good. No? Try doing a forgotten password on, does it give you a recovery option for it? Yes? then do it. No... then I'm at a blank.

However, if you can get into it via the route above, then log out, go back into main email account > account settings > add or change an alias. Choose option two, which is for turning a normal email into a email alias only, specificy it to use the desired username alias you tried to create and go through any security prompts it gives you until the process completes.

[gemz4the1]

I have 2 email addresses and 1 for work.  I wanted to add a new one to swap from an old one.

I didn't realise I had to do it this way (down the alias route) so I created the new email and then tried to link it (option 2).  I have tried option 2 but it does not work.  Now, if I go to option 1 is says the email address already exists (which it does).  So then I go to option 2 and it says it is already taken - which is clearly is as it asks for an existing log in.

I have just tried option 1 (create a new alias) and it worked.  However, it's not the one that I wanted nor the one that I set up. 

[Anonymous]

Uh. That is a much more clear post. You didn't do the alias route the first time around and created a new full blown account with the desired name. Previously you were saying the opposite.

With the name you want being A full blown account, it means you can never use it as alias via Option #1 route until it is deleted after period of inactivity, thus dropping it back into the available name pool.

Having not used Option #2, aka, 'Add an existing email address as a Microsoft account alias'

I would assume that simply typing the new email address name in then going through the various security prompts (it should) bring up, it will make the second email into an alias.

I don't quite follow this line: "So then I go to option 2 and it says it is already taken - which is clearly is as it asks for an existing log in."

If you go for option #2 that should be obvious, it asks for a already existing email. So why it would whine about it then tell you to add an existing email after having complained about it, that's just bizarre. Maybe you need to log into the new account and see if it has received ANY emails regarding this alias switch process. If it has, deal with them to complete the process.

You have various options:

1) Do the above, if it has.

2) Set all mail to be forwarded from the old account to the new one and reply to the email from the new account. Or Set the new account to download mail in the old account to itself, and then reply to said email via the new account.

3) Change your browser font encoding temporarily, close the browser and re-open it, log into your hotmail > account settings > add or change an alias > add alias  then use Option #1

So for example, say you wanted gemz4the1 but it wasn't available on the default list. Changing your browser font encoding temporarily for this process would give you new options like:

gemz4the1 @ hotmail.de

gemz4the1 @ live.de

gemz4the1 @ hotmail.jp

gemz4the1 @ live.jp

If you don't mind the domain name ending slightly different, then all good. Reset the browser encoding back to English after you're done.