Email removal help

Question

I'm trying to remove an email from my account that's used for account verification when I sign in but every time i try to remove the email it says that i have to add another email before i can remove this one but I already added another email and its still not letting me remove it.

Answer 1

Add the new address as a Microsoft account alias, verify it, and make it the primary alias before removing the old address; adding it only as a verification/security email does not satisfy the alias-removal requirement.

Add and promote the replacement alias

1. Open Edit account info and sign in.
2. Under Account aliases, check whether the new address appears.
   • If it does not, select Add email, enter the address, and complete its verification.
   • An address already associated with another Microsoft account cannot be added as an alias.
3. Select Make primary beside the new address.
4. Confirm that (primary alias) now appears beside it.
5. Select Remove beside the old address and confirm.

Microsoft documents alias management under Your info → Manage how you sign in to Microsoft; the replacement address must be an account alias, not merely another destination for verification codes.^1^ The documented alias procedure likewise requires making the replacement alias primary before removing the previous address.^2^

If the address appears only under Security

An email listed under Security → Manage how I sign in is a verification method, not necessarily an alias. Microsoft treats these as separate settings.^3^

If the address being removed is security information instead:

1. Open Microsoft account → Security → Manage how I sign in.
2. Confirm the replacement method is listed and was verified with the code Microsoft sent.
3. Expand the old method and select Remove.
4. If removal becomes Scheduled for removal, Microsoft applies a 30-day waiting period; the old method remains usable until the displayed removal date.^4^

Important before confirming removal

If the old alias ends in @outlook.com, @hotmail.com, @live.com, or @msn.com, removing it permanently deletes that Microsoft-hosted address; it cannot later be reclaimed or attached to another Microsoft account.^5^

If the replacement is already shown as a verified alias and marked primary, but the same error remains, use Contact Microsoft Support, select Get Help, and then Contact Support. Support cannot directly change protected account details, but it can investigate why the alias page is not recognizing the replacement.^1^

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References

1. Change the email address for your Microsoft account | Microsoft Support
2. "Something went wrong" with error ADDriverStoreAccessNonLocalException | Microsoft Support
3. Microsoft account security info & verification codes
4. What does 'Scheduled for removal' mean? | Microsoft Support
5. Email adress alias recover - Microsoft Q&A