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How to switch from Live.com to Outlook.com?

mitchellvii

Well-Known Member
I have had a Live.com email address for years but have committed to go fully with my Outlook.com address from now on for email, contacts and calendars. I am abandoning Google completely as they seem to be harder and harder to deal with as far as syncing is concerned.

I initially set up my SP under the Live.com address but wish to switch this over to my Outlook.com address as well. Anyone know how to do this so that:

1) My SP is now linked to my Outlook.com account.
2) All email, contacts and calendar events migrate to Outlook.com now and into the future. Can I permanently shut down the Live.com account and have all mail sent there to be permanently forwarded to Outlook.com?

Thanks.
 

jnjroach

Administrator
Staff member
I use Outlook.com with my 15 year old Hotmail.com email address, there is no need to migrate off of your live.com address.
 

lovemysurface

New Member
Michellvii,

jnjroach is right, theres really no functional need to change it but, if you want to for cosmetic reasons (outlook.com address as oppossed to live.com address)...

1) Log into you live.com account
2) Click on the gear icon in the upper right corner
3) Select "More Mail Settings"
4) Select "Your Mail Accounts"
5) If you just want to add an outlook.com alias you can do that here by pressing the "Create an Outlook alias" button. That way both names are retained.
6) If you want to actually change the name, click on the "Details" link in the Microsoft account section near the top of the screen.
7) Click "Account settings" in the popup
8) Click on "Add or Change Aliases"
9) Click on the "Rename tab"

Everything should transfer over as you're just changing the address and the account it remaining unchanged.

Hope this helps...
 
OP
mitchellvii

mitchellvii

Well-Known Member
Ok, I guess I'm confused. Will email sent to my live.com account already automatically forward to my outlook.com account by the same name? For instance, if someone emails me at [email protected] will I get it at [email protected]?

Ok, I went to my live.com account and set up email forwarding to my outlook.com account but i doesn't appear to be working. The alias thing won't work since my outlook.com address already exists.

** Ah, ok there it is. The email forwarding works it is just VERY slow.

I'm currently signed into my Store account with my live.com address. How do I change that to my outlook.com address? Will I lose all my apps or can I migrate them?
 
Last edited:
OP
mitchellvii

mitchellvii

Well-Known Member

It's kind if bizarre.

MS gives you the option to rename your live.com address to a NEW outlook.com address. However, if you attempt to rename it to an EXISTING outlook.com address it tells you you can't make an outlook.com address your primary. Who the hell knows? Typical MS contradiction and confusion.

Oh well, in the meantime I will just forward my mail from the live.com address to the outlook.com address.
 

bertopl

Active Member
this happened to me too. I hurried and got the outlook address I wanted before reading about the rename procedure. I'm sticking with my hotmail address till they sort things out as I have the grandfathered 25GB skydrive associated with the old hotmail address. not willing to give that up.
 
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