Close a Hotmail Account: 6 Easy Steps
If you've changed your primary email address and are no longer using Hotmail, you may be thinking of permanently deleting a hotmail.com email address. This article provides easy-to-follow instructions that will help you along the way.
But before you begin, consider whether you really need to delete your Hotmail account.
Hotmail.com email addresses are owned by Microsoft, so your Hotmail account is a part of your Microsoft account. This means that to delete a Hotmail.com email address, you'll have to delete your Microsoft 365 account that is associated with this address.
If you are ready for this, read on! Otherwise you may consider simply removing your Hotmail account from Outlook or any other email app you're using.
Can you delete a Hotmail email address permanently?
A lot of people are wondering if they can delete a hotmail.com email address immediately and permanently. And the answer is: permanently — yes, immediately — no.
After you request to close your account, Microsoft will not delete it right away. Your account will be deactivated first and you will have 30 or 60 days (depending on your choice) to re-open it in case you change your mind. This helps prevent fraudulent activity and protect your account.
In the next section of this article, we explain how you can deactivate your Hotmail account and mark it for closure.
How to close a Hotmail account in 6 simple steps
Here's how you can close the account safely:
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Save your email history into another online account before you delete your Hotmail email address.
We recommend saving old emails into another online account because this will make your Hotmail archive easily accessible. Keeping an archive of your old email online is also safer than storing it on a hard drive.
If you want the job to be done automatically, try VaultMe. VaultMe is a paid service, but moving your Hotmail.com email into another account by yourself may cost you more time and effort.
VaultMe can migrate your Hotmail emails into almost any email provider's inbox (Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo, and others). It can also transfer your OneDrive files, contacts, and calendars to another account.
Note: VaultMe will not forward any future emails received in Hotmail to a different email address. It will only copy the already existing emails to the destination account.
VaultMe migrates emails between different service providers
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Replace your old Hotmail address with another email address in all online services that are associated with it.
Before you delete the account, ensure that none of your online accounts are linked to the unwanted Hotmail address. You will have to go through all services associated with the old hotmail.com email address one by one and replace the address there.
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Let other people know you will delete your Hotmail email account soon.
Your account will continue receiving emails during the 30- or 60-day waiting period, even if you don't sign in. You can use this period to notify people in your contact list that your Hotmail address is no longer in use and will be deleted soon. To do that, you can send a batch email, or you can create an automatic reply.
Temporarily setting up automatic replies in Hotmail before account deletion You can also automatically forward emails from Hotmail to another email address during this time.
Temporarily setting up forwarding rules in Hotmail before account deletion Note: After your Hotmail email account is deleted permanently, automated rules will no longer work.
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Go to the "Close your account" page and follow Microsoft's instructions to delete your Hotmail email account.
How to close a Hotmail email account permanently -
Wait for your Hotmail account to be deleted permanently.
Remember that Microsoft will not delete your email account instantly. It will deactivate it for 30 days or 60 days (depending on your choice) which will leave you the option of re-opening it.
If you sign in to your Hotmail account from any of your devices during the waiting period, it will be reactivated automatically.
Frequently asked questions about deleting a Hotmail account
Can an email account be closed?
Yes, all email accounts can be closed upon request, although the exact steps vary depending on the service provider. Typically, you have to ensure that you've saved all the important information from your account and that it is not linked to any services that you use. Then, you can mark your account for deletion.
Can I delete Outlook and keep Hotmail?
All Hotmail accounts are Outlook accounts, so you cannot disassociate your Hotmail account from Outlook. However, if you are referring to the Outlook email app, you can sign out from your Hotmail account in Outlook and then remove the app.
Are Hotmail and Outlook the same now?
Yes, Hotmail email accounts are owned by Microsoft, so all Hotmail accounts have the functionality of Outlook accounts.
Can I temporarily deactivate my Hotmail account?
Yes, marking your account for closure will deactivate it for 30 days. You need to sign in to your Hotmail account within 30 days of the deactivation date to avoid permanent deletion.
How do I delete my Hotmail account permanently?
Request cancellation and wait 30 or 60 days (depending on your choice). Avoid signing in to your Hotmail account during the waiting period, as signing in to the account will reactivate it.
What happens if I delete my Hotmail account?
All data associated with your Hotmail / Microsoft 365 account will be removed. You will not be able to use any Microsoft services linked to this email address. However, you can avoid losing your email history and your OneDrive files if you migrate them to a different account before requesting cancellation of the account.
What happens to closed Hotmail accounts?
Deleted Hotmail accounts are closed permanently and cannot be recovered. We recommend copying your Hotmail emails and OneDrive files to a different account before closing your Hotmail account. This way, once a Hotmail account is closed, your content will be safely stored in a different account.
Is a Hotmail account deleted after inactivity?
Yes, you need to sign in to your Hotmail email account at least once every 365 days to avoid deactivation.
Related articles
Want to switch email service providers? Learn how to migrate your Hotmail emails to Gmail: Transfer Hotmail Emails to Gmail in Two Ways.
Need to save your OneDrive files to a Google account? Follow the steps provided in this article: 3 Ways to Transfer OneDrive Files to Google Drive.
Considering merging your Hotmail accounts? This blog post provides detailed instructions: Combine Two or More Email Accounts into One.
Want to delete an old MSN account? Our article provides step-by-step instructions: How to Delete an MSN Email Account.