How to delete old email account user name and password and update with new one

Recover the existing Microsoft account first, then add the new email as an alias, make it primary, relink Windows 11 to that alias, and only afterward remove the old address.

Microsoft account aliases are alternate usernames for the same account. They retain its files, OneDrive storage, subscriptions, contacts, and settings, and they all share one Microsoft-account password—you cannot assign a separate password to each alias.^1^

1. Recover access to the existing account

Because you do not know its password, submit the account recovery form:

1. Open the Microsoft account recovery form.
2. Enter the old email address as the account being recovered.
3. Supply a different contact email that you can currently access.
4. Provide as much historical information as possible, including previous passwords and use of services such as OneDrive, Skype, or Xbox.^2^
5. After recovery, set a new password. This becomes the shared password for the account and all its aliases.

If recovery does not succeed, use Microsoft’s Sign-in Helper. Microsoft Support cannot manually change account details or send a password-reset link on your behalf.^3^

2. Add the new email without creating another account

Once signed in to the recovered account:

1. Open Manage how you sign in to Microsoft: https://account.live.com/names/manage
2. Select Add email.
3. Choose either:
   • an existing non-Microsoft address you control, such as Gmail, or
   • a newly created Outlook.com address.
4. Complete the verification sent to that address.
5. Select Make primary beside the new alias.^4^

If Microsoft says the new address is already in use, it belongs to another Microsoft account and cannot be added until it is released from that account. Existing Outlook.com, Hotmail, Live, and MSN addresses already attached to another account cannot be added as aliases.^5^

3. Update verification methods separately

A sign-in alias and a verification address are different settings. Making the new address primary does not necessarily replace the old recovery method.

1. Open Microsoft account → Security: https://account.microsoft.com/security
2. Select Manage how I sign in.
3. Select Add a new way to sign in or verify.
4. Add an accessible email, Microsoft Authenticator, or a passkey and complete verification.^6^
5. Remove inaccessible security information only after the new method works.

If replacing all old security information triggers a pending security change, protected account changes can be unavailable during the security-protection period.

4. Refresh the Windows 11 account link

Before removing the old alias, reconnect the existing Windows profile using the new alias:

1. Open Settings → Accounts → Your info.
2. Select Sign in with a local account instead.
3. Create the temporary local-account credentials, then select Sign out and finish.
4. Sign back in and restart Windows.
5. Return to Settings → Accounts → Your info.
6. Select Sign in with a Microsoft account instead.
7. Enter the new primary alias and the recovered Microsoft-account password.
8. Restart again.

Switching between local and Microsoft sign-in is supported in Windows 11.^7^ Relinking this same Windows profile preserves its installed applications and local files.^8^

5. Remove the old alias last

After confirming that both the Microsoft website and Windows accept the new alias:

1. Return to Manage how you sign in to Microsoft.
2. Select Remove beside the old address.

Important: If the old address ends in @outlook.com, @hotmail.com, @live.com, or @msn.com, removing it permanently deletes that address; it cannot later be reclaimed or attached to another Microsoft account.^9^ If there is no need to reclaim it, the safer option is to keep it as a non-primary alias after Windows has been relinked.

References

1. Change the email address for your Microsoft account | Microsoft Support
2. How do I change my email to one associated with an old account? - Microsoft Q&A
3. I can't sign in to my Microsoft account | Microsoft Support
4. How to add an email address to your Microsoft account | Microsoft Support
5. "Something went wrong" with error ADDriverStoreAccessNonLocalException | Microsoft Support
6. Microsoft account security info & verification codes | Microsoft Support
7. Change From a Local Account to a Microsoft Account in Windows | Microsoft Support
8. Will changing the primary email address on my Microsoft account affect how I sign in to my computer - Microsoft Q&A
9. Email adress alias recover - Microsoft Q&A