Lost account

Question

How do I get my account back. I inadverntently created another account with an email address that I was already using on outlook. Now when I login, I can only see the emails for the new account and not the old one.

This is on my pc, I can actually access the old account on my phone because I never logged out.

Answer 1

Hi Antonio Jones

I understand you’re having an issue where you sign in to Outlook.com on your PC and only see the new mailbox, while the old mailbox is still accessible on your phone because you never signed out.  Could you confirm:

• On the PC, do you see the “Which account do you want to use?” screen, or does it auto-sign in to the new mailbox without asking?
• Is the old mailbox address an Outlook/Hotmail address (@outlook.com / @hotmail.com), or a non‑Microsoft email (like Gmail) used to sign in?

I would love to hear from you soon. Have a nice day!

Answer 2

The situation matches having two different Microsoft accounts using the same email address: a personal Microsoft account and a work/school account, or two separate Microsoft accounts that share the same sign-in address. When signing in on the PC, the newer account is being selected, so only that mailbox appears.

To get back to the original mailbox on the PC, use one of these approaches:

1. Choose the correct account at sign-in

• When the "Which account do you want to use?" prompt appears, select the Personal account (or the one that corresponds to the original Outlook.com mailbox) instead of the work/school or newly created account.
• Sign in with the same credentials that are currently working on the phone.

2. Rename the newer/personal Microsoft account so the prompt goes away If the same email address is being used for two accounts and the prompt keeps appearing:
3. Go to the Manage how you sign in section for the personal Microsoft account.
4. Add a new email address (alias) or use an existing one.
5. Set that new address as Make primary.
6. After that, sign out and sign back in on the PC, and choose the account that corresponds to the original Outlook.com mailbox.

This separates the sign-in identities so the PC can sign in to the correct mailbox again.

If the old mailbox was removed as an alias from a Microsoft account, it is permanently deleted and cannot be reattached to any Microsoft account.

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References:

• Which account do you want to use?
• Deleted hotmail email address from account - can I get it back? - Microsoft Q&A
• MSN email issues - Microsoft Q&A