How can I recover my Hotmail account?

Question

I accidentally deleted my Hotmail account.What can I do to recover it.I would gladly appreciate it if I could get some help.Thanks!

Answer 1

If you closed the account, as discussed in the article at https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/account-billing/how-to-close-your-microsoft-account-c1b2d13f-4de6-6e1b-4a31-d9d668849979 , you should be able to reopen it, if you are still within the 30 or 60 day window.

Answer 2

Hi, I'm John!

I understand how frustrating this situation must be.

When you say you deleted your Hotmail account, do you mean you removed the Hotmail address as an alias from your Microsoft account page? Or you fully closed the entire Microsoft account?

If you mean removed as account alias:

Unfortunately, once a @hotmail.com address has been deleted, it cannot be recovered, added again, or recreated. Microsoft outlines this in the support page https://support.microsoft.com/office/add-or-remove-an-email-alias-in-outlook-com-459b1989-356d-40fa-a689-8f285b13f1f2 under the “Remove an email address” section in the “Important” note.

If you need, you can still create a new Outlook.com address to use as your primary or secondary account going forward.

Let me know if you have any further questions or concerns.

Answer 3

To try to recover a deleted Hotmail (Outlook.com) account, the options depend on how and when it was deleted.

1. If the Microsoft account was closed by choice recently
   • When a Microsoft account is closed, there is a 30‑day or 60‑day grace period during which it can be reopened.
   • During this period:
     1. Go to https://account.microsoft.com and sign in with the deleted account.
     2. Follow the prompts to receive and enter a security code.
     3. After entering the code, the account is reopened and previous content (including Outlook.com/Hotmail email, profile, subscriptions, and purchases) should be available again.
2. If the account has been closed or inactive too long
   • If the account was closed and the 30‑ or 60‑day grace period has passed, it cannot be reopened.
   • If there has been no sign‑in for more than two years, the Microsoft account (including the Hotmail mailbox) may have been automatically deleted and cannot be restored.
3. If sign‑in fails or the account is not recognized
   • If the username is no longer recognized or you see messages like “We couldn’t find an account with that username,” use the Sign‑in Helper tool referenced in the Microsoft account recovery guidance.
   • If the account was deleted or has aged out as described above, recovery is no longer possible and a new Outlook.com account must be created.
4. If the issue is password or access (not deletion)
   • If the problem is that the password is forgotten or access is blocked rather than the account being deleted, use the standard recovery options:
     • Reset the password using the password reset flow.
     • If the account may be hacked or compromised, use the dedicated recovery helper for compromised Microsoft accounts.
     • If normal reset options do not work, use the Microsoft account recovery form and provide as much accurate information as possible.

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References:

• Reopen your Microsoft account
• I can't sign in to my Microsoft account
• How to sign in to Hotmail
• Help with the Microsoft account recovery form
• How to recover a hacked or compromised Microsoft account
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