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Summary: Your alternate email address is a second email address used to recover your hacked or lost HotMail account. You must change your alternate email address if you lose access to that second account, or you risk not being able to recover your Hotmail account should you lose the password or get hacked.
Can you show me how to change my alternate email address on MSN Hotmail? I looked through the options and didn't see it.
You didn't find it because ... well, because it's not there. Apparently that would be too easy.
Can you tell I find that frustrating? Yep. Me and thousands of others, I might add. It's simple once you find it, but finding it? Aye, there's the rub.
•
To the point - go here: MSN Account Services. You'll need to log in, of course, but once you do, you'll be able to change all sorts of things about your MSN Account, including your alternate e-mail address.
"MSN Account?" you ask, "But this is my Hotmail Account".
Yes, I know. There's a bit of an identity crisis going on. MSN (An acronym for MicroSoft Network) provides a number of services, Hotmail being only one of them. When you sign up for a Hotmail account, you are actually creating an account with MSN that can be used on any of the free MSN services including MSN Messenger, My MSN, and more.
But wait. There's still more confusion, and identity crisis to be had...
As you navigate your MSN Account settings, or even when you sign on to MSN services like Hotmail, you'll see references to something called "Passport". A Passport is that single account that you create that lets you log into all the different MSN services. In fact, Passport was originally created with the goal of being the one login for all websites from many different vendors besides Microsoft. Unfortunately that doesn't seem to be happening, and even MSN seems to be shying away from the term "Passport" - but you'll still see it in various places.
So in a nutshell, to change your Hotmail account alternate email address, visit MSN Account Services and you'll be all set.
Important: If it's your actual email address you want to change (not your alternate), then you need to read this article: How do I change my Hotmail name or address?.
Related:
Ask Leo! - How do I change my MSN Hotmail password?
Ask Leo! - How do I change my Hotmail name or address?
Ask Leo! - How do I delete my Hotmail account?
Ask Leo! - How do I resolve my MSN Hotmail sign in problems?
Microsoft - MSN Account Services
Article C2448 - October 29, 2005
I would like to be able to read & respond to my emails from my home computer here at work. How do I go about doing that?
Posted by: Dav Vandervoort at January 9, 2008 4:10 PM-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
Hash: SHA1
If you're using Hotmail, then just login to Hotmail from
your work computer and have at it.
Leo
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Posted by: Leo A. Notenboom at January 10, 2008 2:55 PMR2ik7U1VPxrgBqDezAceWOI=
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Dear Leo:
I read the article, but was unable to find an answer to my concern. I am having trouble with certain e-mail addresses. I write the message, then press SEND, but at that point Hotmail informs me that I can't send it because it doesn't provide free access to certain services anymore. Why are we told this after it's sent and not before, and why is this policy in place?
Posted by: Doug Blackwood at February 17, 2008 1:50 PM-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
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Sounds fishy, but I'd have to see the *specific* and
complete error message.
Leo
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Posted by: Leo A. Notenboom at February 18, 2008 9:57 AMwfMjvkPiFtTfwBthAQ+FXvY=
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If i've forgot my password and my secret answer question.How do I add an alternate email address to obtain password reset info or how do i get on to my original e-mail account to reset my password ?? Please Please help
Posted by: Sola at October 9, 2008 6:27 PMwell i need to change my alternate email address so i can get my other password cuz i dont neather one of them
Posted by: jamie at October 28, 2008 6:54 PMI am trying to enter an alternare e-mail address. I have a web-based ISP with Charter. My address for that account is [email address removed _@charter.net] but I get all my e-mail at the NEW Windows Live Hotmail ; I tried to enter that in the correct form and spent 6 hours trying to get my address and password entered.. I also KNOW what my password is and don't want to change it . Does the alternate address have to look like this someone@hotmail.com or is that mean that I would be using somebody@charter.net
Posted by: Neomi Myers at November 11, 2008 9:06 PMPlease Help me .. Nee M.
I would like to change my date on outgoing emails from hotmail.com, so it will appear that the emails was sent days before even it was sent today for example.
Thank you.
Posted by: Jose Isaac at November 29, 2008 6:01 AMJose Isaac...
I have the same question as Jose
Posted by: Lola at February 13, 2009 12:48 PMI would like to change my date on outgoing emails from hotmail.com, so it will appear that the emails was sent days before even it was sent today for example.
Thank you
"How do I change my MSN Hotmail Alternate E-mail Address?":
Posted by: sreesha at July 3, 2009 1:48 PM