Hotmail says my account doesn’t exist

Question

My account stopped updating emails sometime last month and now it says it doesn’t exist

I’ve tried to recover it but there’s nothing there

my email is ******@hotmail.co.uk

Answer 1

Hello, good day and thanks for your question. Sorry to know about this and to add to the above, please take note that a compromised account is a complex scenario and once the email and phone number has been changed to a different one then it is at the point that it is unrecoverable (even if 2FA is enabled) and the forum does not have access to user accounts. For this you can go over to this link https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=2196140 and most likely it will be followed by doing the account recovery form which is an automated process that you will need to enter every bit of information that you can remember on the account (if this is unsuccessful, the account cannot be recovered) and you can check out the links below for reference.

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/account-billing/how-to-recover-a-hacked-or-compromised-microsoft-account-24ca907d-bcdf-a44b-4656-47f0cd89c245

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/account-billing/your-microsoft-account-recovery-request-wasn-t-granted-dc56c3e3-dff0-4ed5-8edb-60290eea6b53

Answer 2

When a Hotmail/Outlook.com address suddenly stops receiving mail and then shows messages like “account doesn’t exist” or “we couldn’t find an account with that username,” there are two main possibilities based on the provided information:

1. The address is no longer a Microsoft account
   • Go to https://account.microsoft.com and enter the Hotmail address.
   • If the message “We couldn't find an account with that username.” or “That Microsoft account doesn't exist” appears, then that address is not currently a Microsoft account.
   • This can happen if:
     • The account was closed or deleted (for example, after not signing in for more than 2 years), or
     • The address was removed as an alias from a Microsoft account.
2. The account was inactive and may have been deleted
   • If there has been no sign-in for more than two years, the Outlook.com/Hotmail account may have been deleted and cannot be reopened. In that case, email, contacts, and settings are no longer available.

Steps to confirm and next actions:

1. Check if the email is a Microsoft account
   • Go to https://account.microsoft.com and enter the Hotmail address.
   • If a password prompt appears, it is still a Microsoft account; then use Forgot password? to try to reset it.
   • If the “account doesn’t exist” message appears, follow the guidance in How to check if your email address is a Microsoft account and My username and password have stopped working to verify spelling (including domain, such as .com vs .co.uk) and try any other aliases or phone numbers that might be linked.
2. If the account truly “doesn’t exist”
   • If spelling and domain are correct and the system still reports that the account doesn’t exist, then the address is no longer associated with a Microsoft account.
   • If it was removed as an alias from another Microsoft account, it is permanently deleted as an alias and cannot be re‑attached to any Microsoft account.
   • If it was deleted due to inactivity (no sign‑in for more than 2 years), it cannot be reopened and past email content cannot be recovered.
3. If the address is recognized but sign‑in fails
   • Use the Sign-in Helper or the Recover your account flow to reset the password:
     • Start from the password reset page (Recover your account) and follow the steps to receive a security code and set a new password.
   • If the username is still not recognized during recovery, use the Sign-in Helper tool as directed in the account recovery guidance.

If all checks show “account doesn’t exist” despite correct spelling and domain, and there has been a long period without sign‑in or the address was removed as an alias, the Hotmail.co.uk mailbox and its contents cannot be restored.

---

References:

• I can't sign in to my Microsoft account
• My username and password have stopped working
• How to check if your email address is a Microsoft account
• Help with the Microsoft account recovery form
• How to sign in to Hotmail
• Deleted hotmail email address from account - can I get it back? - Microsoft Q&A
• MSN email issues - Microsoft Q&A