name change

Question

James *** has passed away. I need the Microsoft account changed to Loretta ***. I am his widow. My email is: ***@gmail.com. My phone number is ***.

Answer 1

I am sorry for your loss. See https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/account-billing/accessing-outlook-com-onedrive-and-other-microsoft-services-when-someone-has-died-ebbd2860-917e-4b39-9913-212362da6b2f .

Answer 2

Microsoft accounts and their personal details cannot be changed by others through forums or support agents; only the account owner signed in as that Microsoft account can change the display name or profile information.

To change the name shown on a Microsoft account from “James Cherry” to “Loretta Cherry,” the signed-in user of that Microsoft account must update the display name on the account itself:

1. Sign in to the Microsoft account that currently shows the name “James Cherry.”
2. Go to Your info for that Microsoft account and open the Edit name page. You can use the Sign in link provided here: Sign in.
3. On the Edit name screen, change the first and last name fields to “Loretta” and “Cherry.”
4. Complete the Captcha and select Save.

Notes:

• Name changes can take up to 24 hours to appear across all Microsoft services and Windows devices.
• Support agents are not allowed to access or change account details on behalf of users, and they cannot bypass security to move or transfer ownership of an existing Microsoft account.
• If access to the Microsoft account is not available (for example, if only James knew the password or security info), the only supported path is to use the normal account recovery and sign-in help flows; if those fail, a new Microsoft account in Loretta’s name would need to be created instead.

If the account is part of an organization (work or school account), name changes may be restricted and must be done by the organization’s IT administrator.

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References:

• How to change your user account name
• How to change your Microsoft account name or address
• What can I change on my Microsoft account?