How to get rid of an old account that I don't use since years and it always pops up.

Question

I tried several times to get rid of my old account ******@arcor.de.

I even do not own this e-mail-adress any more so maybe I could not confirm that the account shall be closed.

PLEASE help me to delete this old account and all the data you can find regarding this old account.

It really disturbs me much that I always have to choose with which account I want to use.

I only use te account I'm now registered with when I write this text to you.

Answer 1

The prompt to choose between accounts appears because there are two Microsoft accounts using the same email address: a personal Microsoft account and a work or school account. Deleting or losing access to the original email address does not automatically remove the Microsoft account.

To stop the “Which account do you want to use?” prompt without needing access to the old email address, change the sign-in alias on the personal Microsoft account that is still in use:

1. Go to the Manage how you sign in section of the active Microsoft account.
2. Add a new email address (alias) or choose an existing alias.
3. Select Make primary for the alias that should be used going forward.

This keeps the current account and data but changes the primary sign-in address so that the conflicting old address is no longer the main identifier and the prompt should stop appearing.

If the second account is a work or school account created by an organization whose domain matches the old email address, contact that organization’s IT department and ask them to remove the account associated with that address. This prevents that organization’s account from continuing to conflict with the personal account.

If the goal is to completely remove an unused Outlook.com/Microsoft account (and all its data), closing the Microsoft account is required:

1. Sign in to the account to be closed.
2. Use the Close your account option and follow the instructions.
   • Closing the Microsoft account permanently deletes Outlook.com email and contacts from Microsoft servers and removes access to services such as Xbox, Skype, OneDrive, and any BitLocker recovery keys associated with that account.

After the closure period passes and the account is deleted, its data is removed as described in the Microsoft Services Agreement.

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References:

• Which account do you want to use?
• Close your Outlook.com account
• How to close your Microsoft account
• Help with "phone number is already used" in a Microsoft account