Please help me make the switch (not to Windows Phone, to Outlook)

[danbbrantley]

Hi all,

Okay, Google has officially pissed me off. I love the Gmail client, but I'm done with it. I'm ready to go all in with Microsoft.

Here's my problem: I don't know how to change the email address associated with my Microsoft account. Basically, I'm only concerned with keeping it because of my gamertag.

When I go to the Outlook website (or live mail, same site), go to account settings, and click "update email address", I'm told that "The email address associated with your Microsoft account can't be changed"

Okay...so what do I do? I basically want to do the following:

Create a fresh new email (xxx@live.com).
Set up forwarding from my Gmail to this account until I can finally rid myself of gmail altogether.
Not lose my Xbox Live Gamertag (very important).

What am I missing? I don't want to just "create an alias" on Live mail, I want to get rid of the gmail association with it.

Help! Thanks.

 

[Daniel Ratcliffe]

ok, if you have an Xbox 360 there is a way to transfer all your purchases (as they call it, it's actually a full blown Xbox profile transfer, achievements, Music Pass if you have one, purchases, the full chabang). I can't remember the link right now, but there is something on WPCentral about it. You can transfer to an existing account (including Outlook.com as mine is), or I believe you can also create a new account on the Xbox itself. If you don't have an Xbox though, you're SOL.

 

[danbbrantley]

Thanks, I do have an Xbox at home. I'm out of the country for a few more weeks and was eager to make the switch - I believe I found the via Xbox solution but have had no such luck doing it online.

 

[Daniel Ratcliffe]

Yeah, there isn't an online way as far as I know, it's either X360 or bust. I have an X360 myself so was able to go from a stupid Hotmail account I created when I was 13, to a nice professional looking Outlook email account. I'm transitioning that to be my ONLY email I use for personal and professional stuff.

 

[rider2040]

The funny thing is that Microsoft now has the perfect opportunity for tons of people to abandon Gmail and move over to Outlook.com, but they don't provide a pathway to get there. In my case, my windows login is tied to my Gmail address and there is no way to change it.

As a new Lumia 920 user, I am increasingly aware of Microsoft's ineptitude.

 

[casab1anca]

You can add a new alias (live.com or outlook.com) and then make that your "preferred email address" under Account Settings > Notifications. I did this a while back when migrating from live.com to outlook.com, and both my Windows 8 and Xbox 360 automatically switched to the new email address.

 

[rider2040]

You can add a new alias (live.com or outlook.com) and then make that your "preferred email address" under Account Settings > Notifications. I did this a while back when migrating from live.com to outlook.com, and both my Windows 8 and Xbox 360 automatically switched to the new email address.

the problem is that my 25gb SkyDrive account is associated with my Gmail account and I don't believe that there is any way to change that.

 

[casab1anca]

the problem is that my 25gb SkyDrive account is associated with my Gmail account and I don't believe that there is any way to change that.

Your SkyDrive account is part of your Microsoft account, not your Gmail account. You're simply using your Gmail address as the login ID for your Microsoft account. When you change the email address on your Microsoft account, you can start logging in with the new email address instead -- your account and SkyDrive storage remain the same. I still have my Xbox gamertag and 25 GB of SkyDrive storage after changing my address.

 

[rider2040]

Your SkyDrive account is part of your Microsoft account, not your Gmail account. You're simply using your Gmail address as the login ID for your Microsoft account. When you change the email address on your Microsoft account, you can start logging in with the new email address instead -- your account and SkyDrive storage remain the same. I still have my Xbox gamertag and 25 GB of SkyDrive storage after changing my address.

I tried doing this when I first signed up for my outlook email address, but it wouldn't let me make the change. I'll look at it again. I'll be happy to dump Gmail if I can.

 

[jdhooghe]

How are you all getting 25GB of storage? Also, where do I find this setting "Account Settings > Notifications" that I need to be in to change my email address?

EDIT: So I'm under https://account.live.com and it won't let me change my preferred email account. It says, "The email address associated with your Microsoft account can't be changedWarning: You might not want to change this email address if you've used it to set up a Windows Phone. On your phone, features that use this address will stop working, including Marketplace, Xbox LIVE, SkyDrive, email, and others. To use these features again on your phone, you'd need to restore it to factory settings, which erases all personal content.

"

 

[fwaits]

From the xbox support link here:

Change Microsoft Account | Xbox Microsoft Account | Xbox Windows Live ID - Xbox.com

[h=2]Can I switch my gamertag to a different Microsoft account?[/h] You can change the Microsoft account that is associated with your Xbox LIVE gamertag. Here’s how:

1. Sign in using your Xbox LIVE gamertag.
2. Go to Settings and select Account.

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[/TABLE]

1. Scroll right to Your Information and select Account Security.
2. Select Change Windows Live ID. (Your Windows Live ID is your Microsoft account. Find out more.) Do one of the following:
   
   • If you have another Microsoft account, select Yes.
   • If you do not have another Microsoft account, go to accounts.live.com and click Sign up. After you have another Microsoft account set up, select Yes and continue with the next step.
     • Enter the password for the Microsoft account that is currently associated with your gamertag, and then select Sign in.
     • Enter the email address and the password for the new Microsoft account that you want to associate with your gamertag, and then select Sign in.
     • Select Yes, change to change the Microsoft account associated with your Xbox LIVE account.
     • Select Update Contact Information to update your contact information or Done to finish.

Notes

• When you change your Microsoft account, your Microsoft Points are automatically transferred to the new Microsoft account.
• You can make only one Microsoft account change for a given gamertag every 30 days.
• You must also wait 30 days after your gamertag is downloaded from Xbox LIVE before you can switch that gamertag to a different Microsoft account. If 30 days have not passed since the gamertag was downloaded, you’ll get an error message.
• Before you can change the Microsoft account associated with a child account, you must provide the Microsoft account information for the adult account that has parental control.
• You can choose to require input of your Microsoft account password to sign in to Xbox LIVE. For more information on how to do this, see Password-protect your Xbox LIVE profile.

 

[fwaits]

How are you all getting 25GB of storage? Also, where do I find this setting "Account Settings > Notifications" that I need to be in to change my email address?

EDIT: So I'm under https://account.live.com and it won't let me change my preferred email account. It says, "The email address associated with your Microsoft account can't be changedWarning: You might not want to change this email address if you've used it to set up a Windows Phone. On your phone, features that use this address will stop working, including Marketplace, Xbox LIVE, SkyDrive, email, and others. To use these features again on your phone, you'd need to restore it to factory settings, which erases all personal content.

"

The 25GB size is only for those that had accounts before the recent upgrade to Outlook.com. After that point new accounts get 7GB.

As for changing the email account name (email address used for login) that is exactly right, you would have to hard reset the phone and set up the account with the new email name because the first Microsoft account you sign in on your WP is bound to it permanently and cannot be changed without a full reset.

 

[rider2040]

EDIT: So I'm under [/COLOR]https://account.live.com and it won't let me change my preferred email account. It says, "The email address associated with your Microsoft account can't be changed

"

This is what I remember seeing when I tried to change mine, too.

Also - MS offered 25gb of SkyDrive storage for a limited time. I can't remember what I had to do to get it, but I don't want to give it up.

 

[jhguth]

but they don't provide a pathway to get there. In my case, my windows login is tied to my Gmail address and there is no way to change it.

worked just fine when I did it

 

[rider2040]

worked just fine when I did it

I just tried again. I get the same message that says "the email address associated with your Microsoft account can't be changed"

As I said, I'd be happy to dump google, but Microsoft won't let me.

 

[jdhooghe]

Meh..don't want to hard reset. I have the phone exactly as I want it :/

 

[fwaits]

Yeah unfortunately there is no way around a hard reset if you change the email address of your MS account.

 

[jdhooghe]

Ok, so I did it. I'm still getting the above error when I try to switch to my outlook address.

 

[jhguth]

Ask Microsoft help

 

[casab1anca]

1) 25 GB was the original free storage limit on SkyDrive. Existing users could still opt in to 25 GB before Microsoft lowered the free limit to 7 GB.
2) Your Windows Phone will require a hard reset to change the email address on your Microsoft account.
3) AFAIK, your Xbox gamertag is not affected by changing your email address (I renamed mine when I had a gamertag but before I had a Windows Phone).