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How Do I Change My Hotmail Name or Address?

My MSN Hotmail name is “something@hotmail.com”. I really don’t like the “something”. What I’d really like is to be “somethingelse@hotmail.com”. How do
I change it?

This is another one of those seemingly simple questions that I get several times every day.

What you’re asking for is not to change your name, but your email address. Unfortunately, your email address is how MSN Hotmail identifies you. A different email address means a completely different MSN Hotmail account.

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Let’s clarify something first, though. Your MSN Hotmail identity consists of two parts: your display name (like “Leo Notenboom”) and your email address
(“something@hotmail.com”). You can easily change your MSN Hotmail display name. I’ve covered that in a previous article.

But you cannot change the email address of your Hotmail account. You can only create a new account with a new email address. To do that:

  • Sign Out of your Hotmail account by clicking on the “Sign Out” button.
  • Visit Hotmail.com – but instead of signing in, click the Sign Up button under the “New to MSN Hotmail?” section. This will lead you through creating a new Hotmail account.
  • After you select the free option, the next step will be to select your new email address. Good luck finding something you like that hasn’t already been taken.
  • Be sure to pick a good password that you can remember, and that others will not be able to guess.
  • Select a secret question from the list, and give an answer that only you would know. Do not forget this – without it, you could lose your account.
  • Enter an alternate email address that your password could be sent to in case you forget it. Make sure it’s a different email address that you control, preferably on a different service.
… you cannot change the email address of your Hotmail account.

After your new account has been created, you can start using it.

But your old account still exists. You will need to manually move all your contacts from your old Hotmail account to your new one. You will need to tell all your contacts that you have a new email address, and that they should stop using the old one. You will need to change anywhere else you use your old email address, for example in MSN Instant Messenger.

And when you’re all done, you may, or may not, want to delete your old MSN Hotmail account. Remember, some time after you close your account, your old email name will become available for someone else to take and use as their own.

As you can see, it’s a lot of work, and it’s definitely not easy to do.

It’s yet another reason I don’t recommend free email services for anything important.

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46 comments on “How Do I Change My Hotmail Name or Address?”

  1. I believe they are separate. I’d make sure to copy/backup all information you want to save before deleting the account.

    Reply
  2. I would like to change my email address to fit my name. I’ve read your article but I’ve also been looking for a solution and found this article to. Is it possible that this same association with your name be posible to change your email address without creating a new account. I would not like to create a new account because I’ve already a lot of info in folders in my account.
    I send you a link with the article and maybe you could take a look.
    Hope you could answer me soon.
    Olivia.

    Article link: http://kb.wayne.edu/index.php?article=390

    Reply
  3. Olivia: that article only applies to that school’s mail system. You cannot do what that article describes with gmail or hotmail (or most email accounts for that matter). Your only option is to create a new account with a new name.

    Reply
    • I do so love your answers…they are basic common sense with a huge dash a sarcasm. I was looking to change my name to my account because I’m now divorced and have my maiden name back and wow what a pain in the ass this is going to be…I thank you for all the help <— which I got from all the stupid questions and your fabulous responses, lol !!

      Reply
  4. is it possible to tranfer all my emails from my old accout into my new account without having to send each one individually? most are very important and i would hate to lose them all.

    Reply
  5. Is it possible to have two selectable User names with the same Hotmail email address. His wife would like to be able to have her name displayed as User when she originates an email. He would like to continue to be able to have his emails sent with his User name.
    They use the WEB page Hotmail email client and would like to have only the one address, but two different User names displayed, selectable by user.

    Reply
  6. I do have a Hotmail Account. I do NOT want to use The new version: Windows Live Hotmail.
    Whenever I open my Hotmail account the new version:Windows live hotmail opens up.
    I prefer the previos version of Hotmail which is easier for me to work with.
    How do i convert the new version; widows live hotmail that opens
    up when I sign in TO the older version to open up when i sighn in?

    Reply
  7. I purchased additional storage under Hotmail (MSN Hotmail Plus) to get additional storage for a MSN User Group I had set up over a year ago. The Group no longer exists, but the renewal for the group was automatically reissued. I recently set up a new MSN User Group and unfortunately used my own personal email address instead of the hotmailplus account (my personal email is a Canadian ISP that does hook itself on some things to MSN. Is there any way I can move this group to my hotmail plus account? I cannot change the name of the MSN User Gp. at this time as it will only confuse the seniors who joined it, even more, but I really need the additional 30 mb of storage I paid for. The only other possibility would be for people joining or viewing the existing group to get a link on accessing the existing address that automatically forwards them to a new website in MSN groups utilizing the hotmail plus account, or a new one that I could have the billing people transfer the account/storage to. I have tried to contact MSN U.S. but since my own ISP is Canadian, I am automatically forwarded to Bell Sympatico/MSN when I press the “MSN Support and Feedback” button and they cannot help me.
    Thank you.

    Reply
  8. This is a regular question ask by many people in search of help or assistant to enable them create a net account. When answering this question many people seem to forget that it is not everyone that views the sign up options.
    The best way of cereating a new net account is by following these steps,
    Step1. Clicking on the link below
    http://www.passport.net
    step 2. Please click on the sign up option
    Windows Live ID home
    Sign up
    Account Services
    Do you have an e-mail address?
    If you have an e-mail address, you can use it to sign in to Windows Live ID sites. If you don’t have an e-mail address, you can get a free MSN Hotmail e-mail address.
    ________________________________________

    Yes, use my e-mail address

    No, sign me up for a free MSN Hotmail e-mail address

    ________________________________________

    Reply
  9. I have a paid-for Hotmail account so by changing the profile my credit card name will no longer match the profile name. I have gone ahead and done this but will the cc bounce? My problem is that I am away for long periods without Internet access so if the cc bounces I cannot action it for some time…meaning that my ‘space’ and POP3 access will lapse.

    It seems that this ought to have a proper solution that does not involve giving a false name to Hotmail but giving your real first given name and surname on every email is a heck of a security risk when you think of all those copied emails on peoples’ pcs that have no anti-virus in place.

    Any suggestions or comments? Many thanks.

    Reply
  10. My desire is to stay at Hotmail.com I ONLY wish to change the name part of the Email a single name that will cover both my wife and myself and a lot easer and quicker to type in. We would also need a new password if possible ?

    As the article you commented on outlines, the only way to do what you’re asking is to create a brand new Hotmail account from scratch with the name you want. There’s no way to rename an account, or to transfer email/contacts from your old account to the new.

    – Leo
    28-Sep-2008
    Reply
  11. so, if I create a new email address, can I forward all emails it receives to my current hotmail address like I can in Outlook? or will I have to check both accounts?

    Maybe. Hotmail does allow some people to automatically forward incoming email to another address. (It doesn’t work for all, and we’ve not been able to determine why.) More here: How do I automatically forward my Windows Live Hotmail mail?

    – Leo
    07-Apr-2009
    Reply
  12. Unfortunately, I just figure out that I misspelled the word Sapphire -*-
    So that’s the problem Idk how to change it
    and i think it’s no way to do it so…
    T_T
    Sad

    Reply
  13. It was the worst blog ever. It didn’t give me any answers. I asked HOW to change my hotmail name. Not HOW to change my address and if I can or can’t. So for your next blog I would suggest putting different questions into different blogs like having one blog called ‘Can you change you hotmail address’ and another one saying ‘How to change your hotmail name’. I say this because I had to read through a lot of things that didn’t apply to me to get the answer I wanted. Also I have to say I hated that little window that came up that said ‘Get you weekly newsletter’. You should have a link if anyone wants to get it, not put something in their face while they are reading. On emore thing, I will tell all of my friends not to use this website as well as I won’t. I hope you take this advice Leo A. Notenboom.

    Reply
  14. I created an email address with hotmail a long time ago, but don’t remember is there any chance that I can recover it or not, even though I remember the alternate email address that’s linked to it?

    Reply
  15. hi, tried lots of times to retrieve messages from my-mail account but password won’t let me in and it won’t let me reset my password . signed up another account but how can i retieve e-mails ffrom old account

    Reply
  16. It didn’t give me any answers. I asked HOW to change my hotmail name. Not HOW to change my address and if I can or can’t. So for your next blog I would suggest putting different questions into different blogs like having one blog called ‘Can you change you hotmail address’ and another one saying ‘How to change your hotmail name’. I say this because I had to read through a lot of things that didn’t apply to me to get the answer I wanted. Also I have to say I hated that little window that came up that said ‘Get you weekly newsletter’. You should have a link if anyone wants to get it, not put something in their face while they are reading. On emore thing, I will tell all of my friends not to use this website as well as I won’t. I hope you take this advice Leo A. Notenboom

    The majority of people asking to change their Hotmail name are asking to change the email address. How to change the display name is already covered in another article: How do I change my “From” user name in MSN Hotmail?

    Leo
    16-Oct-2010

    Reply
  17. i followed all the instructions to change my email address and hit submit and all was well. Then when i came back to send an email my old email address came up. Can you advise me what has gone wrong? many thanks sir!

    So you’ve created a new account with the new email address, right? That’s the only way to change the *address* is with a completely new account. If you get the old email address simply logout, and then login using the *new* email address and password you created.

    Leo
    28-Oct-2010

    Reply
  18. Dear Sir,
    with due respect it is stated that some one hacked my e.mail address and unnecessary mail coming in my sending box and my in box how i can stop that. pls help me in this matter. i shall be very thankful to you for this regard.
    yours sincerely,
    m.naeem qureshi

    This article discusses recovery options for the various ways that Hotmail accounts can be lost or compromised: What are my Lost Hotmail Account and Password Recovery Options?

    Leo
    13-Jan-2011

    Reply
  19. Dear Sir,
    For a long time I have wanted to change my email address on Hotmail, as I was 13 when I set it up and now that I have matured I realise that its silly. But I understand that you cannot change your email address without setting up a completely different account, however I found something on the settings that says I can change my preferred email address. Brilliant! But it won’t let me change it. Is there a way that I can get around that and change it?
    Many thanks :)

    Reply
  20. I would like to get rid of my old hotmail e-mail – but I want to export my contacts to my new e-mail address

    Reply
  21. see when u go on ur sign in page an my hotmail is {email address removed} but when i type y to start singi in it comes up with my whole email address how do i delete tht part/bit if u can ??

    Reply
  22. Outlook.com (including Hotmail MSN.com and Live.com) now allows you to create alias account names which are different email addresses associated with the original account. Therefore if your original email address was example1n@hotmail .com, you can add addresses such as example2@outlook.com or example1@outlook.com

    Reply
    • Hotmail is over protective. It’s possible to prevent being locked out by setting up recovery email addresses. Make sure your recovery address doesn’t have the same “feature” requirig a verification when you travel. For account recovery, I have a softhome.net email address. It is a very limited service email account, and I wouldn’t recommend it as a main email account, but since it doesn’t lock you out when you travel, it’s useful as a recovery address. Otherwise, it’s virtually impossible to get back into Hotmail unless you have access to your mobile phone.
      https://askleo.com/how-do-i-prevent-hotmail-from-locking-me-out-when-i-travel-overseas/

      Reply
  23. Dear sir i am worried about when i saw that i am coming in UAE at visit visa for apply job and on my cv i used this email id. i am really shocked when i saw this what happen. i use this account from long duration so i forgot primary information. plzz plz sir help me and solve this problem. cell number is register is telenor of pakistan {removed} but in UAE my number is {removed}. dear sir plzzzzzzzzzzz help me and sought out this problem with immediately effect may there is any interview call me on this email. how i verified this pllllllllzzzzzzzzzzzzz

    Reply

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