Accessing old certifications

Question

After changing my primary email address and removing the old one as an alias I am unable to access my certification profile in Microsoft learn.

My current Microsoft's email address is <mod: PII removed>@gmail.com

The old one was <mod: PII removed>@hotmail.com

I tried adding the old one back as an alias but it was unable to do so.

Is there any way to recover my certifications profile?

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Moderator: Moved from Exchange | Other

Answer 1

Removing the @hotmail.com alias permanently deleted that email address as a Microsoft sign-in alias and it cannot be re‑added to any Microsoft account. However, the Learn certification data is tied to the Learn profile, not to the alias itself, so recovery depends on which login account owns that Learn profile.

1. Verify which Learn profile has the certifications
   • Sign in to Microsoft Learn with every account that might have been used for exams (for example, the current ******@gmail.com Microsoft account and any work/school accounts).
   • After signing in, open your Learn profile settings: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/users/me/settings and check whether the expected certifications appear.
   • If the certifications are visible under a profile, that is the profile that owns them.
2. If the certifications are on a different Learn profile
   • Learn profiles can be merged, and certification data is merged with them. Follow the guidance under “Can I merge Learn Profiles? Does this mean my Certification Data is also merged?” to consolidate into the preferred profile. See merge learn profiles.
3. If access to the original login account is lost
   • Microsoft Learn cannot restore a Learn profile if none of its login accounts can be recovered.
   • For a personal Microsoft account (such as the old @hotmail.com if it was a separate account, not just an alias), use the standard recovery options described in the Microsoft account help articles referenced under “What should I do if I lost access to my Learn profile?”
   • If the original profile used a work or school account, contact the organization’s IT administrator to regain access.
   • If at least one login for that Learn profile cannot be recovered, the certifications in that profile cannot be accessed or moved.
4. Why the @hotmail.com alias cannot be restored
   • When an alias from a Microsoft domain such as @hotmail.com is removed from an account, it is permanently deleted and cannot be associated with any Microsoft account again. This affects only that alias; it does not delete the Microsoft account itself if one existed separately.
5. If certifications are missing from all accessible profiles
   • Confirm that the exams were Microsoft Learn certifications (not Certiport). Exams earned through Certiport do not appear in the Learn profile and must be managed via Certiport.
   • If the exams were Microsoft certifications and should appear but do not, contact Microsoft Credentials Support for missing credentials assistance.

For the future, ensure that at least one personal Microsoft account (MSA) is added to the Learn profile so that certification data remains accessible regardless of changes to aliases or employment.

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References:

• Add or remove an email alias in Outlook.com
• Frequently asked questions (profile)
• Missing Exams or Certifications
• Accessing your Learn profile
• Deleted hotmail email address from account - can I get it back? - Microsoft Q&A
• MSN email issues - Microsoft Q&A