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How do I delete an old hotmail account

Kathy 0 Reputation points
2026-05-04T12:43:27.23+00:00

I’m getting hundreds of mail delivery failures every day

Outlook | Web | Outlook.com | Email
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  1. EmilyS726 241.2K Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2026-05-04T13:18:03.7633333+00:00

    Hello

    If you are getting these emails without you sending out emails, it sounds like this account can be compromised.

    Please complete these steps on a computer, not on a smartphone or tablet.

    ====================

    First, go to https://www.outlook.com and sign in.

    Click the gear icon in the top right corner to open Settings.

    Under Mail, review the following areas:

    Rules

    If any rules are listed, delete all of them.

    Conditional formatting

    If anything is set up there, delete it.

    Forwarding and IMAP

    If you see any entries or settings you did not create, remove them. Turn off POP and IMAP.

    ====================

    Then you can follow this instruction if you want to close the account: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/account-billing/how-to-close-your-microsoft-account-c1b2d13f-4de6-6e1b-4a31-d9d668849979

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  2. AI answer

    2026-05-04T12:43:48.3666667+00:00

    To stop the mail delivery failures and delete or shut down the old Hotmail/Outlook.com account, there are two main options depending on what is needed.

    1. If only the address (alias) was removed
    • If the Hotmail address was removed as an alias from a Microsoft account (via “Manage how you sign in to Microsoft”), it is permanently deleted and cannot be restored or reused.
    • The article on aliases states: if an alias from a Microsoft domain (like @hotmail.com, @live.com, @outlook.com, or @msn.com) is removed, that alias is permanently deleted and cannot be associated with any Microsoft account again.
    • In this case, the address is already gone and cannot be deleted again or recovered; any mail delivery failures are likely residual or related to other systems still trying to send to that address.
    1. If the full Outlook.com/Hotmail account still exists and must be closed Closing an Outlook.com/Hotmail mailbox permanently requires closing the entire Microsoft account that owns it:
    • Closing the Microsoft account will:
      • Permanently delete Outlook.com email and contacts from Microsoft’s servers.
      • Remove access to other Microsoft services tied to that account (Xbox, Skype, OneDrive, etc.).
      • Remove access to any saved BitLocker recovery keys associated with that account.

    Steps (high level):

    1. Sign in to the Outlook.com / Hotmail account that is receiving the mail delivery failures.
    2. Follow the “How to close your Microsoft account” process (linked from the Outlook.com “Close your Outlook.com account” article). This walks through confirming identity and acknowledging what will be lost.
    3. After the closure process is completed and the waiting period (if any) passes, the mailbox and address are permanently deleted, so no further mail can be delivered and no more delivery failures will be generated for that account.

    Important considerations:

    • Once the Microsoft account is closed and the Outlook.com mailbox deleted, email and contacts cannot be recovered.
    • If the Hotmail address was already removed as an alias (not the whole account), it is already permanently deleted and cannot be recovered or reused.

    References:

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

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