email address being deleted

Question

email address being deleted

Susan Smith 0

I had an email address that was working fine on 1/6/26, it now no longer appears to exist and when I login to outlook.com online, it has been replace by outlook_<list of numbers and letters>@outlook.com. |What has happened, and can I rectify it?

Thanks

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2 answers

Your answer

Answer 1

Susan Smith 0

Sorted. The email address I tried to create replaced the alias in the Microsoft Account. Removed and replaced with correct one.

Estrella721 44,845 Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-08-02T23:02:07.59+00:00

You can no longer find it anywhere in your account? You might have accidentally removed it.

Answer 2

Estrella721 44,845 Independent Advisor

Hi,

This is an indication that your account was hacked and the attacker replaced your email address.

What is the domain of your original email address? For example, @hotmail.com, @outlook.com, @live.com, or something else?

Also, what is the exact error message you receive when you try to sign in to your original email address?

Susan Smith 0 Reputation points

2026-07-31T09:46:00.1866667+00:00

Thanks. It was an @outlook.com address. Not sure it was a hack though. From what you are saying it could have been my fault.

There was an update from Microsoft, after which Outlook would not start - it just kept saying loading profiles. I eventually created a new profile with my main email address, which is not an @outlook.com, or any other Microsoft address, but it is the email address associated with my Microsoft account. However, when I tried to add the @outlook.com account, it said this email address did not exist.

However the process was a bit fraught, at some point I tried creating a new email account. So that when I now logon to the online version of Outlook, which I presume is using my Microsoft Account, I see the old emails sent to my @outlook.com address, in a Mailbox called outlook_<list of numbers and letters>@outlook.com, and if I try to send an email, it tries to use the email I tried to create above, which outlook says does not exist.

If you're not confused, I am. Maybe I've hacked myself!
Susan Smith 0 Reputation points

2026-07-31T09:47:00.24+00:00

Thanks. It was an @outlook.com address. Not sure it was a hack though. From what you are saying it could have been my fault.

There was an update from Microsoft, after which Outlook would not start - it just kept saying loading profiles. I eventually created a new profile with my main email address, which is not an @outlook.com, or any other Microsoft address, but it is the email address associated with my Microsoft account. However, when I tried to add the @outlook.com account, it said this email address did not exist.

However the process was a bit fraught, at some point I tried creating a new email account. So that when I now logon to the online version of Outlook, which I presume is using my Microsoft Account, I see the old emails sent to my @outlook.com address, in a Mailbox called outlook_<list of numbers and letters>@outlook.com, and if I try to send an email, it tries to use the email I tried to create above, which outlook says does not exist.

If you're not confused, I am. Maybe I've hacked myself!
Estrella721 44,845 Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-07-31T23:09:16.5566667+00:00

I see, so the new Outlook.com address was accidentally set as the primary alias for your Microsoft account, replacing your original @outlook.com alias. As a result, Outlook started using the new alias for sending mail, while your existing mailbox and emails remained associated with the same Microsoft account. Thank you for sharing this.
Susan Smith 0 Reputation points

2026-08-02T14:01:35.2133333+00:00

It wasn't the primary, but an alternate alias. Somehow, when I tried to create a new email, as a part of creating a new profile, it appears to have replaced the existing alternate alias, with the address I was creating. Maybe add it, but replacing an existing one doesn't seem right to me.