Add Username Error - Hoping to get email with new surname...

Question

Hi,

I have changed my surname but don't want to lose my existing inbox. I thought the best solution would be to add a free "alias" to my account. On the free outlook emails I think I found the page to do this, where is says "add a username" and I was going to make a new email address that will feed into the current inbox. For a month now I have been refreshing and trying to do this but an error message keeps appearing.

Firstly, how do I report this error to Microsoft or know if it is something they're already working on fixing? And secondly, is this the only free solution I have to getting my existing email inbox to have an address with my new name?

Thanks

Answer 1

Can I just ask, if I now make this new email as my "primary" username, it won't negatively affect anything that currently uses my old email? Does it simply make this the new address the one I email from and it will show my new name when people email in. I just have to use the old email to log into things until I get around to updating them?

As long as you only change the primary, everything will work as it does it - but if you use Outlook apps, will need to sign in with the new Outlook address.

DO NOT REMOVE the old address. That will delete it from your account and it cannot be added back. Only click the Make primary link. If you remove the live address, you will not receive mail sent to the live address.

Answer 2

Perhaps if I create the new email address first and choose "add existing email address"? I just worried if that didn't work I was stuck with the new email I wanted in a different inbox.

That won't work for outlook.com addresses. That is only for non-microsoft addresses.

The live addresses are not going away - they are no longer offered though and Microsoft would like every account to have an outlook.com alias. But it is not required.

Did you try logging in using a private browser window?

Answer 3

What does the error message say?

Yes, if you want a new address and don't want to make a new account, adding an alias is the way to do it. Add the address here: https://account.live.com/names/manage I added an alias this morning and did not get an error (beyond the expected errors for address already taken).

Note: Don't remove the old address until you are sure nothing is using it as you can never get it back.