My new Outlook.com email address is displayed in Outlook classic as the same name as my primary gmail address. How can I change hte displayed name to match the outlook.com address, please?

Question

I have just set up an outlook.com email address as my backup address and added this to Outlook Classic. My primary email address is a gmail address and this is what I use to log on to my Microsoft account.

The new email address initially displayed in Outlook Classic as [unfamiliar string of characters]@outlook.com, but then switched to the gmail address - so I have two sets of mail information displayed with the same gmail address. Please can you advise me how I can change the displayed name to [myID]@outlook.com?

It is correctly displayed in new Outlook, which I don't use (and don't want to use as I prefer the Classic functionality).

Thank you for your help.

Answer 1

If you have a second @outlook.com account, you cannot make that address an alias of the Microsoft account that uses your Gmail address.

You said you thought you were following Microsoft's instructions. Which instructions are they? The ones I referenced? Were you trying to add another alias?

If you have your Gmail address as the verification address, did you log into your Gmail mailbox to look if the verification messages came through?

Answer 2

How are you trying to gain access? Have you tried logging into https://account.live.com/ to see if you can access the account? For which account have you designated the @outlook.com address as the verification address? Personally, if you are trying to add a verification address to a Microsoft account, I'd use a non-Microsoft address. More than one verification address is a good idea as well.

Answer 3

What in my reply do you believe didn't help? Can you provide additional detail?

Answer 4

Hi. I'm Brian and I"ll try to help.

When you use a non-Microsoft domain in an address used for a Microsoft account, the service always creates an alias of the form "outlook_[long string of letters and numbers]@outlook.com." You can read about it in this article: https://support.microsoft.com/office/90ed7938-7f21-4cb5-a69d-a3b79ea4eafd. The best way to address this is to log into https://account.live.com/names/manage and create an alias with a name you like and ending in @outlook.com. The primary alias can be your Gmail address.

Answer 5

In classic Outlook for Windows this behavior is caused by how the Outlook.com/Microsoft account is added when the Microsoft account’s primary alias is a different email address (for example, a Gmail address). Outlook can then show the Gmail address (or an internal Outlook.com ID) instead of the Outlook.com address that is actually being used.

There are two supported ways in the provided guidance to make the Outlook.com address show correctly and distinctly from the Gmail address in classic Outlook:

1. Create a new Outlook profile and add the Outlook.com account manually (IMAP/POP)

This separates the Outlook.com mailbox from the Gmail-based Microsoft account sign‑in and avoids the “wrong address” or “long ID” display.

1. Close Outlook.
2. Press Windows key + R.
3. Type outlook /profiles and select OK (note the space before /).
4. In Choose Profile, select Options > New.
5. Enter a new profile name and select OK.
6. Choose Advanced options > Let me set up my account manually.
7. Enter the Outlook.com address and password, then choose Connect.
8. If setup fails, select Change Account Settings and enter the IMAP/POP settings from the provider or from the POP and IMAP server name reference. Select Connect, then Done.
9. In Choose Profile, select Set as default profile, then OK.

In this profile, the Outlook.com account will appear under its own address instead of inheriting the Gmail sign‑in address.

2. Make the Outlook.com address the primary alias on the Microsoft account, then re-add it in Outlook

When the Outlook.com alias is primary, classic Outlook uses that address for the account instead of the Gmail alias.

1. Go to https://account.live.com/names/Manage and sign in to the Microsoft account.
2. Set the Outlook.com email address as the primary alias.
3. In classic Outlook, remove the Outlook.com account.
4. Add the Outlook.com account again following the steps in Add your Outlook.com account in Outlook for Windows (from the referenced article).

After this, the Outlook.com address should be what is shown and used for sending, rather than the Gmail address.

If the underlying account is correct and only the label shown in classic Outlook needs to change, the display name can be edited directly:

1. In classic Outlook, select File > Account Settings > Account Settings.
2. Select the Outlook.com account and choose Change.
3. In the Your name field, type the name as it should appear (for example, the Outlook.com address or a descriptive name).
4. Select Next, then Close to return to Outlook.

Note: For Microsoft Exchange–type accounts, the display name cannot be changed in Outlook and must be changed by the administrator, but for Outlook.com accounts in classic Outlook the above workarounds are the supported methods to correct what is displayed.

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References:

• Outlook.com email account appears as "outlook_[long series of letters and numbers]@outlook.com" in Outlook for Windows
• Change the display name that email recipients see in classic Outlook
• How to change your Microsoft account name or address