Why can't I get @outlook.com with my @hotmail.com alias?

Question

I was trying to add an alias as @outlook.com to my e-mail, so my address don't feel so dated.

Turns out that it says that my alias is taken... I sent and e-mail and got a reply that the account doesn't exist.
Is there anything I could do? I really want to keep the same username (before @) as I have today, but in outlook.com instead of hotmail.com

Thank you!

Answer 1

Hi Bruno Jorge

I understand you’re having trouble adding the exact same username as an @outlook.com alias to your existing @hotmail.com account. The system says the @outlook.com address is taken, but when you email it, you get a bounce saying the account doesn’t exist. I’m happy to help you.

• Is this a personal Microsoft account, or a work/school account?
• Did you ever previously own (and then remove) that exact ******@outlook.com alias from any Microsoft account?

Please note that:

• An alias must be unique. Microsoft won’t let you add an alias if the address is already associated with another Microsoft account.
• If an alias from a Microsoft domain was removed, it is permanently deleted and can’t be reused or reattached, which can appear like “account doesn’t exist” while still being unavailable to claim.
• The allowed characters for aliases (letters/numbers plus dot (.), underscore (_), or hyphen (-)), and that spaces/special characters aren’t allowed.
• See: Add or remove an email alias in Outlook.com - Microsoft Support

Please follow these steps:

1) Create an available outlook.com alias, then set it as primary

• Use Add or remove an email alias in Outlook.com - Microsoft Support to create a new Outlook.com email address and add it as a username.
• Since the exact name is taken, try a clean variation using supported characters (e.g., name., name_, name-, numbers).
• After it’s added, go to Manage how you sign in and choose Make primary next to the new alias.

2) If your goal is “not looking dated,” update your profile name instead

If you only need a different name associated with your account, you can change your profile name/photo.

**If you must have the exact ****@outlook.com string

There is no supported self-service method to reclaim an outlook.com address that is either:

• already associated with another Microsoft account, or
• was previously removed (permanently deleted/reserved).

The supported path is to choose a different available alias.

I hope this clarifies things for you. Thank you for your understanding!

Please tell me how it goes. If the problem persists, please don’t hesitate to reply to this thread and I will be happy to help. Have a lovely day!  

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Answer 2

Outlook.com aliases must be unique across all Microsoft accounts, and existing Outlook.com/Hotmail/Live/MSN addresses cannot be reused or moved between accounts.

From the alias rules:

• Existing Hotmail, Live, Outlook.com, and MSN addresses can't be added as aliases, and an alias can't be added if it is already associated with another Microsoft account.
• It isn't possible to create a new alias using @hotmail, @live.com, or @msn.com; and Outlook.com aliases must not already exist on any account.

In this case, the @outlook.com version of the Hotmail username is already reserved or associated with some Microsoft account (even if it does not respond like a normal mailbox), so it cannot be created or attached as an alias.

There is no supported way to:

• Reclaim that @outlook.com address from another account, or
• Convert an existing @hotmail.com username into the same username at @outlook.com.

The only available options are:

• Choose a different @outlook.com username that is not taken, or
• Continue using the existing @hotmail.com address (optionally as a non‑primary alias) and add some other new alias as the primary.

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References:

• Add or remove an email alias in Outlook.com
• How to add an existing outlook.com account to my existing microsoft account? - Microsoft Q&A
• Deleted hotmail email address from account - can I get it back? - Microsoft Q&A
• MSN email issues - Microsoft Q&A