Hotmail email for Microsoft account does not exist

Question

Hi, please see reference [Moderator Note: Personal Info Removed]

As of the 23/02/2026 I was using it fine.

My Microsoft Hotmail email account is saying that it does not exist.

When I try and recreate the account, Microsoft tells me that they have found the account to use. When I click on the found account it comes back again that they couldn't find the account. Its a constant loop. I have included pics on my issues - [Moderator Note: Personal Info Removed]

I think I may have accidently remove and replaced my email on my Microsoft 365 account with a new email but when I try and add the old one back in, its saying that it has been blocked for use for some reason. the 2 emails are - old [Moderator Note: Personal Info Removed]@hotmail.com - new [Moderator Note: Personal Info Removed]@geckosw.com.au. Its the old one i need to reinstate but not remove the new one.

Answer 1

Hi Sharon Johnson,

Thank you for reaching out to Microsoft Q&A forum.

I understand how frustrating this situation is—especially since the address was working recently and you’re now seeing a “does not exist” message and the “found account” loop.

Based on your description, this can happen if the original @hotmail.com address was removed as an alias from the Microsoft account. If a Microsoft‑domain alias (such as @hotmail.com, @outlook.com, @live.com, or @msn.com) is removed, it is permanently deleted and cannot be added back or associated with any Microsoft account again. This can also result in ‘reserved domain’ or ‘blocked for use’ messages.

Here’s what you can do without removing your new email:

1. Check whether the old Hotmail address still exists on your account

• Sign in using your current working sign-in
• Go to Manage how you sign in to Microsoft and review the Account aliases list.
• If account still appears there, select Make primary (and verify if prompted).

2. If the Hotmail alias is NOT listed anymore

• Unfortunately, it can’t be reinstated once it has been removed (this aligns with the “reserved domain/blocked” behavior).
• The supported workaround is to create a new @outlook.com alias on the same Microsoft account. In the alias page, choose Create a new Outlook.com email address and add it as an alias, then set it as primary if you need Outlook mailbox access again.

Please note that this is a user-to-user support forum. Moderators, contributors including external Microsoft employees cannot directly intervene in Microsoft product features or access back-end systems. Our role is limited to providing technical guidance on reported issues, requests, or ideas only.

Thank you for your understanding. 

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