How To Delete Hotmail Account

What Is Hotmail?

Hotmail, born in 1996, was a game-changer in the world of email. It was one of the first free web-based email services, meaning you could access your messages from any computer with an internet connection, unlike the dial-up limitations of earlier email clients.

Hotmail:

• Launched in 1996, one of the first web-based email services.

• Offered free accounts with generous storage space at the time (4MB!).

• Popularized the @hotmail.com domain name.

• Acquired by Microsoft in 1997.

How To Delete Hotmail Account

Deleting a Hotmail account is synonymous with deleting your Microsoft account, as Hotmail is now part of Outlook.com, which is managed by Microsoft accounts. Here's how you can do it:

Before you proceed, make sure you:

• Download and save any important emails, contacts, or files associated with your Hotmail account, as they will be permanently deleted after you close your account.

• Update any logins or accounts that use your Hotmail address, such as social media, banking, or online shopping accounts.

• Cancel any subscriptions or services linked to your Hotmail account.

Steps to delete your Hotmail account:

1. Go to the Microsoft account closure page: https://account.live.com/closeaccount.aspx

2. Sign in to your Hotmail account.

3. Choose how long you want your data to be retained before it's permanently deleted (30 or 60 days).

4. Review the information on the page and check the boxes to confirm you understand the consequences of closing your account.

5. Click on "Close account".

How do I remove my Microsoft account from Hotmail?

You actually can't remove your Microsoft account from Hotmail, as Hotmail is no longer a separate service. Since 2013, all Hotmail accounts were transitioned to Outlook.com, which is managed entirely through Microsoft accounts. Therefore, removing your Microsoft account essentially means closing your entire Outlook.com account.

Here's how you can do it, but remember, this is a permanent action and all your associated data will be deleted:

1. Back up any important information: Download emails, contacts, or files you want to keep, as they'll be gone after closing your account.

2. Update logins: Change logins for any accounts that use your Hotmail address, like social media, banking, or online shopping.

3. Cancel subscriptions: Stop any subscriptions or services linked to your Hotmail account.

4. Head to the closure page: Go to https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/account-billing/how-to-close-your-microsoft-account-c1b2d13f-4de6-6e1b-4a31-d9d668849979.

5. Sign in and choose duration: Log in to your Hotmail account and pick how long (30 or 60 days) your data should be retained before permanent deletion.

6. Review and confirm: Carefully read the information and check the boxes acknowledging the consequences.

7. Close your account: Click "Close account" to finalize the process.

Remember, once closed, you can't reopen your account. If you're unsure, consider exporting your data and keeping your account inactive instead of deleting it.

Can you permanently delete an email address from Outlook?

There's actually a slight distinction to make when it comes to deleting email addresses in Outlook:

1. Deleting an email account from Outlook: This means removing the entire account and all its associated data (emails, contacts, calendar entries) from your Outlook client. This doesn't deactivate the email address itself, just its connection to your Outlook program.

2. Deleting an alias associated with your Microsoft account: You can have multiple email addresses (aliases) linked to your single Microsoft account. Deleting an alias means permanently removing that specific email address from your account. This will prevent you from using that email address to send or receive emails anymore.

Here's how to do both:

Deleting an email account from Outlook:

1. Open Outlook and click on File > Account Settings > Account Settings.

2. Select the email account you want to remove and click Remove.

3. Confirm that you want to delete the account and all its associated data.

Deleting an alias from your Microsoft account:

1. Go to your Microsoft account security settings: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/account-billing/microsoft-account-security-info-verification-codes-bf2505ca-cae5-c5b4-77d1-69d3343a5452

2. Click on Manage aliases.

3. Click on the Remove alias link next to the alias you want to delete.

4. Enter your password and confirm that you want to delete the alias.

Will deleting my Microsoft Account delete my email?

Yes, deleting your Microsoft account will also delete your email associated with it. This is because your email address, whether it's an @hotmail.com, @outlook.com, @live.com, or any other Microsoft domain tied to your account, is essentially an alias connected to your main Microsoft account. So, when you delete the account, all its associated aliases, including your email address, are permanently removed.

Here's an analogy to illustrate it: Imagine your Microsoft account as a house, and your email address is the mailbox outside. Deleting the house (account) would also mean removing the mailbox (email address) permanently.

Therefore, before proceeding with deleting your Microsoft account, it's crucial to:

• Back up any important emails, contacts, or files: Once you delete the account, everything associated with it, including emails, saved contacts, and OneDrive files, will be gone forever. Download or export any critical data you want to keep.

• Update logins for accounts using your Microsoft email: Change login credentials for any services or platforms that use your Microsoft email address to avoid losing access.

• Cancel linked subscriptions or services: Stop any ongoing subscriptions or services connected to your Microsoft account to prevent future charges.

If you're unsure about deleting your entire account but want to remove the email address from being your primary login, you can:

• Set a different alias as your primary email address: Go to your Microsoft account security settings and choose "Manage aliases." Click "Set as primary" next to the preferred email address you want to use for signing in.

Remember, deleting your Microsoft account is a permanent action with no recovery option. Consider exporting your data and keeping the account inactive if you're unsure about complete deletion.

What happens if I delete my Hotmail account?

It's important to remember that Hotmail is no longer a separate service and now exists as part of Outlook.com, managed by Microsoft accounts. Therefore, deleting your "Hotmail account" actually means deleting your entire Microsoft account, with the following consequences:

Permanent data loss:

• All emails, contacts, and files associated with your Hotmail address (including OneDrive files) will be permanently deleted and unrecoverable.

Loss of access to linked services:

• You will lose access to any services or platforms linked to your Hotmail account, such as social media, banking, or online shopping platforms that used your Hotmail address for login.

Account closure:

• Your entire Microsoft account, including any other email aliases associated with it, will be closed permanently.

Can you reactivate a Hotmail account?

Unfortunately, reactivating a Hotmail account in the traditional sense isn't possible because Hotmail is no longer a separate service. Since 2013, all Hotmail accounts have been transitioned to Outlook.com, which is managed by Microsoft accounts.

Therefore, if you're trying to access an old Hotmail address, you're essentially trying to access your associated Microsoft account. The good news is that reactivating a Microsoft account is possible under certain conditions:

• If you closed your Microsoft account within the past 60 days: During this grace period, you can simply sign back in to your account using your Hotmail address and password. Microsoft will prompt you to confirm you want to reactivate the account, and your data will be restored.

• If you closed your Microsoft account more than 60 days ago: In this case, your account and its associated data, including emails, contacts, and files, have likely been permanently deleted. Unfortunately, reactivation is not possible.

Can I delete my Hotmail account and reinstall?

No, you can't directly delete your "Hotmail account" and reinstall it, as Hotmail is no longer a separate service but part of your Microsoft account. Deleting your Hotmail account essentially means closing your entire Microsoft account, and reinstalling a specific email address within that account isn't possible.

Here's why:

• Microsoft accounts manage email addresses: Your Hotmail address is just one alias linked to your main Microsoft account. Deleting the account removes all associated aliases, including your Hotmail address.

• Permanent data loss: Once you delete your Microsoft account, all its data, including emails, contacts, and files, is permanently deleted and unrecoverable. This includes data associated with your Hotmail address.

• No "reinstall" option: Microsoft accounts don't have a specific reinstall feature for individual email addresses like Hotmail. Deleting the account permanently removes it from the system.