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how to delete account and open a new one

Tor M. Rasmussen 120 Reputation points
2025-11-03T18:46:58.2233333+00:00

I want to delete my hotmail account due to constant sex messages which started to appear when nudged to try new Outlook, a complete disaster, and open a new account. How to do that and how to keep my emails, etc. from the hotmail a/c. tmr

Microsoft 365 and Office | Other

Answer accepted by question author

  1. Kai-H 15,700 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2025-11-17T06:46:26.68+00:00

    Hi, Tor M. Rasmussen

    Welcome to Microsoft Q&A forum.

    Sorry for this unwanted experience regarding your Hotmail account getting exposed. Here is the clear path that you can follow to delete your account and keep all your data (old emails and files) intact:

    1. Delete your Hotmail account

    • Sign in at account.microsoft.com.
    • Go to Your info > Close account.
    • Follow the prompts. Microsoft gives a 60-day grace period before permanent deletion.

    2. Keep your old emails and files

    • Important: OneDrive and Outlook data are tied to the same Microsoft account. If you delete the account, you lose access to its cloud storage.
    • Backing up to OneDrive under the same account does not make it transferable to a new account automatically.

    3. Options to preserve data

    • External backup (recommended): Download your files from OneDrive and export your Outlook emails/contacts to a PST file. Store them on a USB or external drive.
    • Reload to new account: After creating the new account, upload files to its OneDrive and import the PST into Outlook.

    4. Why this matters

    • Microsoft does not allow merging or transferring OneDrive content between accounts.
    • If you delete the old account, its cloud storage becomes inaccessible.

    Hope this helps. Feel free to get back if you need further assistance.


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Answer accepted by question author

  1. Anonymous
    2025-11-03T19:35:15.4566667+00:00

    Hi Tor M. Rasmussen, I'm really sorry you're experiencing this receiving inappropriate messages especially when you're just trying to use your email normally. can feel invasive and upsetting. It's completely understandable that you'd want to start fresh with a new account and protect your privacy.

    To delete your Hotmail account and create a new one while keeping your emails first back up your messages by exporting them to a pst file using Outlook then go to signup dot live dot com to create a new Outlook account with a strong password and two factor authentication then either remove the Hotmail alias by going to account dot microsoft dot com and making a new alias primary or delete the entire account by visiting account dot live dot com slash closeaccount dot aspx and finally protect your new account by using a strong password avoiding public exposure and checking your security settings regularly.

    Are you hoping to keep access to your old emails and contacts after deleting your Hotmail account, or would you prefer to start completely fresh with no data carried over?

    Best regards
    Lucky Charm

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  1. Tor M. Rasmussen 120 Reputation points
    2025-11-03T19:44:54.8266667+00:00

    Keep access to my old emails and contacts and all other data associated with my old Hotmail a/c. tmr

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