Unable to change my alias email address too be the Primary Email address on my Microsoft account

Question

Problem:

Unable to change my alias email too Primary Email on my Microsoft account

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First Stage: (Microsoft LOGIN)

I performed the following steps: - I signed out of my Microsoft account and OneDrive account everywhere then:

1. I tried to LOGIN to my Microsoft account using my "OLD email address" and I got the error message of "We couldn't find a Microsoft account. Try entering your details again or create an account" from Microsoft.
2. Next - I tried to login using my "NEW email address", and this account LOGIN was Successful.
3. BUT my account information still displayed my details as: - "Thumbnail Image" and the email address directly under my Thumbnail Image is still displaying as my OLD email address.

Second Stage: (Check Email account)

I checked the type of my email account, and it is a Personal account, and not a business account.

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Third Stage: (Edit Account Information)

1. From my Microsoft Account Page, I then select "Your info" icon/button which takes me to my details page.
2. I then Scrolled down to "Account info" section where my email addresses are displayed.

Email Address - "My OLD email address"	The email address you use to sign in to your Microsoft account. (Note: - This is the wrong Email address).

Email Address - "My NEW email address" (Note: This is listed as an ALIAS address)

Phone Number -	 +61 xxxxxxxx

Etc.

I then select the icon/button "Edit Account Info" from right top corner of "Account Info" which then takes me to this "Edit Account Info" page:

Manage how you sign in to your account

Your username is displayed on your Microsoft account, Windows device or Xbox. You can change your primary username at any time. Learn more about account usernames

Edit Account Info: -

Account username

"OLD email address" (primary) Remove

"NEW email address" Remove Make primary

+61 xxxxxxxx Remove

Etc

I then select "My NEW email address" and "Make primary" icon/button, I then keep getting this following error message

• "We were unable to make "NEW email address" your primary alias. Please try again later."

I have logged this error FOUR times with Microsoft and have continually been instructed to logout and try logging back in, also to delete alias Emails and re-add them, then try to make primary again, but all these avenues have failed.

• When I logged this problem for the fourth time, the Microsoft Technician took remote control of my computer, but after some time, he could not solve the issue.
• He then escalated the problem to second level support.
• Second level support contacted me at 1:00 am my time (9:30 pm their time). As I wasn't available to get to my computer at that time, he apologised and insisted he would contact me tomorrow at a more reasonable hour.
• I never heard from him again but noticed he had once again closed my case as solved.

Any assistance with this Email/Account problem would be appreciated.

Regards

Allan

Answer 1

Hello Allan Aurousseau,

Thanks for your understanding.

What I can think of here that maybe there might be some corruption within your account or the original email is no longer available and blocked some features.

If you have any other questions, please let me know.

Answer 2

Carl-L

i have tried incognito as have the MS level 1 support team on my computer and also from my phone - no luck

no recent security changes

account is a gmail email but I created 3 seperate outlook emails and added them, and got same error with each outlook emails.

I changed my wife’s Microsoft account with no problems and her old email is on the same server as mine, and her new email account is a gmail account.

Answer 3

Hello Allan Aurousseau,

Welcome to Microsoft Q&A forum.

I see that you are having issue with changing your primary email address. Before we proceed, I'd like to know some more information to better understanding this.

• May I know if you've tried to access this using Incognito or InPrivate mode? Same question about another device like your phone.
• Is your account in the process of changing the security information?
• May I know if your new account is an outlook account or a foreign domain account (gmail for example) and if it has ever been linked with another Microsoft account before?

I'm waiting for your reply.