personal and business account have same email and it is causing issues

Question

I have had a personal account with my work email for a few years, but now my org. has begun the process of switching from google to microsoft. My work account and personal have the same email attached to them and it is causing issues especially on my mobile device (ios).

when I put outlook app on my phone it will only recognize the google based personal email account and not the business account. How do I fix this?

Answer 1

Hi @Ron Baraff – work, 

Thank you for reaching out to the Microsoft Q&A Forum and I am sorry for the inconvenience this account conflict is causing. To help us scope the issue efficiently and, importantly, to protect your privacy, please reply via private message with brief answers to the questions below: 

1. What exactly is the Microsoft personal email address that is affected? 
2. Has your company fully completed the migration from Google Workspace to Microsoft 365, or is it still in progress? 
3. Can you sign in to Outlook on the web with your Microsoft work account? 
4. When you add the work account in Outlook for iOS, what exactly happens. Please share the brief error text or the observed behavior? 
5. When adding the account, did you choose the Work or School option for Microsoft 365, or did you choose Google or Other. 

Once I receive your responses, I will quickly provide the most appropriate next steps to ensure you can access your Microsoft work mailbox on your iPhone without confusion between accounts. 

Thank you for your patience and your understanding. I look forward to continuing the conversation.  

Answer 2

Having both a personal Microsoft account and a work account linked to the same email address can lead to various issues, especially when trying to access services like Outlook on mobile devices. Since your organization is transitioning to Microsoft and you are experiencing problems with the Outlook app recognizing your business account, here are some steps you can take to resolve the issue:

1. Rename Your Personal Account: Since having a personal account with a work email is no longer supported, consider renaming your personal Microsoft account to a different email address. This can help eliminate the conflict between the two accounts. You can find the steps to rename your personal account in the Microsoft support documentation.
2. Clear Cached Data: If the Outlook app is still recognizing your personal account, try clearing the app's cache or reinstalling the app. This can help reset the account recognition.
3. Sign Out and Sign In: Make sure to sign out of the Outlook app completely and then sign back in using your work account credentials. This can sometimes resolve account recognition issues.
4. Contact IT Support: If the problem persists, it may be beneficial to reach out to your organization's IT support team for assistance, as they may have specific configurations or settings that need to be adjusted on their end.

By following these steps, you should be able to resolve the issues related to your personal and business accounts having the same email address.

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References:

• Why can't I use my work email address for a "Personal" account?
• Microsoft Accounts (MSA) can't be created using work/school email addresses