Hotmail account recovery

Yusuf Sinah 0 Reputation points
2026-11-08T15:40:40.5466667+00:00

Hello Microsoft Support Team,

I have forgotten the full email address of my old Hotmail account.

I still have access to my recovery email address, but when I try to recover my username, Microsoft only shows a partially hidden email address:

[moderator's note: PII removed]

I am the original owner of this account and would like to recover my complete Hotmail email address.

Could you please guide me on how I can identify my full email address and regain access to my account?

I can provide additional information to verify my ownership.

Thank you for your help.

Microsoft 365 and Office | Subscription, account, billing | For home | Other
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  1. Vikki-T 13,945 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2026-11-09T08:42:52.9433333+00:00

    For your privacy and security, I have covered the personal information included in your post. Please avoid sharing any personal or sensitive information publicly, such as serial numbers, order details, email addresses, phone numbers, or case-related information.

    Hi Yusuf Sinah,

    I understand how frustrating it can be to still have access to the recovery contact but not remember the complete address of the old account.

    Please note that the username lookup intentionally displays only a partially masked username for privacy. Neither community members nor Microsoft Support can reveal the hidden characters. The account recovery form also cannot identify or reconstruct a forgotten username, as it requires the complete account address before the verification process can begin.

    One additional option is to contact someone you previously exchanged messages with and ask them to check the full sender address in an old email, reply, or saved contact. You may also search your recovery mailbox for old Microsoft notifications, replies, or receipts that might show the complete address.

    Once you identify the full address, use the Microsoft Sign-in Helper to check the available recovery options.

    Please do not share your recovery address, passwords, verification codes, or other private account information in this public forum. I know this isn't the news you were hoping for, but I wanted to make sure you got the most accurate information about your situation. Thank you so much for your understanding.     

    Note: Please follow the steps in our documentation to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread.

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  2. AI answer

    2026-11-08T15:41:18.9733333+00:00

    Microsoft’s username lookup only displays a masked hint, so use a device, Microsoft product, alternate alias, or old message where the account’s complete address is stored. ^1^

    Find the complete address

    Since the recovery-email lookup already produced pa*****@hotmail.com, move to these alternatives:

    1. Search the recovery mailbox
      • Search all folders—including Sent, Archive, Junk, and Deleted—for:
        • hotmail.com
        • Microsoft purchase or subscription receipts
        • Messages exchanged with the old account
      • Open the message details to inspect the complete sender or recipient address.
    2. Check a Windows PC previously connected to the account
      • Go to Start > Settings > Accounts.
      • Open Email & accounts.
      • Look for the full Hotmail username under accounts associated with the device.
    3. Check Microsoft Office
      • Open Word or Excel.
      • Select File > Account.
      • Under Product Information, check the address beside Belongs to.
    4. Check old mail applications and devices
      • Inspect account settings in Outlook, Windows Mail, Apple Mail, or a phone/tablet where the Hotmail mailbox was configured.
      • Also check saved credentials in the device or browser’s password manager.
    5. Try another sign-in alias
      • If a different email address or telephone number was added as an alias—not merely as recovery information—it can be used to sign in to the same Microsoft account.

    Microsoft documents the Windows, Office, email-receipt, alternate-address, and Xbox locations where a complete username may still appear. ^2^

    After finding the username

    Enter the complete address in Microsoft’s sign-in helper or password-reset process. Check the spelling and domain carefully because old accounts may use different Hotmail country domains, such as .com or .co.uk. If another sign-in alias or phone number belongs to the account, that can also be tried. ^3^

    If password reset cannot verify the account, submit the Microsoft account recovery form:

    https://account.live.com/acsr

    Provide as much historical information as possible, such as previous passwords, contacts, and email subjects. The recovery form still requires an identifiable account address, phone number, or Skype name, so it cannot reconstruct the hidden characters by itself.

    Important limitations

    • Do not post the address, recovery email, phone number, passwords, or verification codes in this public forum.
    • Microsoft Support agents cannot disclose the hidden username, send password-reset links, or change account details without the required account validation. ^2^
    • Because this is an old account, inactivity may matter. Microsoft generally requires at least one sign-in within a two-year period, subject to documented exceptions such as certain purchases, active subscriptions, balances, and family-account conditions. An account closed for inactivity cannot be recovered through ordinary sign-in recovery. ^4^

    If none of the connected devices, products, aliases, receipts, or old messages contains the complete address, there is no documented process for support to reveal the characters hidden in pa*****@hotmail.com.

    References

    1. Forgotten your Microsoft account username | Microsoft Support
    2. Check products or services where you used your Microsoft account | Microsoft Support
    3. My username and password have stopped working | Microsoft Support
    4. Microsoft account activity policy | Microsoft Support
    AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

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