How to completely delete an old email address that no longer have access to

Fran C 0 Reputation points
2026-10-16T02:42:13.77+00:00

Hi all. I have tried several times to delete an old email address, that I no longer have access to but have

been unsuccessful. Is there some trick to this or any way to resolve this please? TIA

Microsoft 365 and Office | Subscription, account, billing | For home | Windows

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  1. AI answer

    2026-10-16T02:42:27.0633333+00:00

    What can be removed depends on what that old email is being used for:

    • If it is a sign-in email/alias on a personal Microsoft account: go to Edit account info at https://account.live.com/names/manage, then select Remove next to that address. If the old address is the primary alias, add another email first and make it primary before removing the old one.
    • If it is a security/verification email: go to the Security info page, add a new verification method first if needed, then choose Remove or Delete next to the old email.

    Important points:

    • Microsoft may require adding new security information before the old information can be removed.
    • If access to the old verification methods is no longer available, choose I don't have any of these and follow the prompts to replace the security information.
    • If an email address is deleted by mistake from security info, it must be added again.
    • For Microsoft-domain aliases such as @outlook.com, @hotmail.com, or @live.com, removing the alias permanently deletes that address and it can’t be reclaimed.

    If the issue is in classic Outlook for Windows and the goal is only to stop that account from appearing in Outlook, remove the account from Outlook:

    1. Open Outlook.
    2. Select File > Account Settings > Account Settings.
    3. Select the account.
    4. Select Remove.

    Note: removing an account from Outlook does not deactivate the email account itself. It only removes it from Outlook on that computer.

    If the old email is still listed under Windows account settings, it can also be removed from Settings > Accounts by selecting the account and choosing Remove Account.

    If sign-in is blocked because no old verification method is accessible, use Microsoft account recovery flow and replace the security information first.

    References:

    AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

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