I can't access my old Xbox account even though I can access the Microsoft account its linked to.

The recoverable path is to identify the Microsoft account originally attached to the old gamertag, then use that account for the Xbox app while ensuring Microsoft Store is signed in with the account that owns Minecraft.

1. Identify the account behind the old gamertag

Use Xbox’s Find your Microsoft account email address walkthrough and check any device, browser, password manager, or Xbox console where the old profile may still be remembered.^1^

Also check:

• Every email inbox you may have used, including the previous address, for Microsoft/Xbox/Minecraft purchase receipts.
• Windows Settings → Accounts → Email & accounts for usernames associated with the PC.
• Office applications under File → Account → Product Information → Belongs to, if applicable.
• Any alternate email address or phone number previously configured on the account.

Microsoft specifically recommends checking products, devices, alternate addresses, and purchase receipts when identifying an account.^2^

Knowing the old gamertag is useful evidence, but Xbox Support cannot disclose its associated email address from the gamertag alone. Account ownership must be validated through the recovery information.

2. Check whether the email change was an alias change

If the new email was added as an alias to the existing Microsoft account, the old and new addresses belong to the same underlying account and share its subscriptions, settings, and password.^3^

Open the Microsoft account’s Your info → Manage how you sign in page and inspect the listed aliases:

• If the old address is still listed, it can be used to sign in to that same account.
• If the old address is absent, search old receipts and saved credentials to determine whether the “email change” actually involved creating another Microsoft account.
• Do not remove or add more aliases while investigating; that will not move an Xbox profile or Minecraft purchase between accounts.

If a second Microsoft account was created two years ago rather than an alias being added, the accounts remain separate even when the visible email addresses appear related.

3. Match the Xbox app and Store accounts correctly

On PC, the Xbox gaming profile and the Microsoft Store account that owns the game have separate roles.^4^

After identifying the original account:

1. Open Microsoft Store → profile icon and check which account is signed in.
2. Open Library and determine whether Minecraft appears as owned.
3. Open the Xbox app → profile menu → Sign out.
4. Sign in to the Xbox app with the recovered account associated with the old gamertag.
5. Open Minecraft Launcher and verify both the Store entitlement and gaming sign-in before launching.

If Minecraft appears in the Store library only under a different account, keep that purchasing account signed into Microsoft Store and use the appropriate Xbox gaming account in the Xbox app where supported by the PC gaming account model.

What cannot be done

The newly created Xbox profile cannot be merged with the old one, and Microsoft personal accounts cannot transfer gamertags, game purchases, balances, or progress between each other.^5^

Therefore:

• Do not buy Minecraft again until the purchasing account has been identified.
• Do not attempt to “reassociate” the old gamertag with the new profile.
• The attached public profile confirms that the gamertag exists, but it does not establish which Microsoft sign-in owns it.

If the recovery walkthrough and receipts do not reveal the original sign-in, contact Microsoft Support through Get Help → Contact Support and provide non-public proof such as purchase date, order number, previous aliases, and billing details. Support still cannot change account details or reveal an account solely from a gamertag without validating ownership.^6^

References

1. Find your Microsoft account email address | XBOX Support
2. Check products or services where you used your Microsoft account | Microsoft Support
3. Change the email address for your Microsoft account | Microsoft Support
4. How your PC gaming account relates to your Microsoft Store account ...
5. Combining Microsoft accounts | Microsoft Support
6. How to sign in to a Microsoft account | Microsoft Support