Helping people with computers... one answer at a time.
People often find themselves in a position where they cannot close their Hotmail account. I'll look at why this might be, and why I'm confused.
I am trying to close this account that I have, but I can't, I don't know why? it says always that I have to close my Windows Live account before I can close Hotmail, and how do I do that? I never joined!
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Actually, you did.
There's a common misconception around Hotmail and Windows Live that can lead to this scenario. I'll try to clear that up.
But I have to add: there's something about all of this that I really don't understand.
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I see a lot of people getting very upset when, for one reason or another, they can't close their Windows Live Hotmail account.
What I don't understand is this: why? Why do you care so much?
Closing the account will not necessarily cause email sent to it to bounce.
Closing the account will not notify anyone.
Closing the account will not stop spammers from sending email that "looks like" it came from the account.
Closing the account will not prevent a hacker who already has access to the account from continuing to have access.
So what's the big deal?
It's a free account. If you don't want it any more, delete the email, delete the contacts, and then just stop using it. Don't login; pretend it doesn't exist. If you're not using it why does it matter so much that you can't close it?
As you can tell, I don't get it. Closing a free email account simply isn't that important.
Remove all your information from the account and simply stop using it - that's all you need to do.
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The common misconception: when you create a Windows Live Hotmail account, you're creating an account not just for Windows Live Hotmail, but for any and all of the Windows Live, formerly MSN, services.
If you have a Hotmail account, you have a Windows Live account, because they're the same thing.
In fact, that same account identifier - your @hotmail.com or @live.com email address - is your account login for services like:
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MSN Messenger, now known as Windows Live Messenger, and Windows Messenger
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MSN/Windows Live Photos
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MSN/Windows Live Spaces
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MSN/Windows Live Groups
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Any custom MSN home page
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Your old ".net Passport"
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MSN/Windows Live Hotmail
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more...
Any of those, and more, are all associated with your single login based on your hotmail or live email address.
And, you can't close one without closing them all - by closing your entire account. For example, if you close your Hotmail account, you're also closing your MSN Messenger account, because they're the same thing.
So make sure you want to close everything associated with the account when you decide it's time to close your Hotmail account.
Windows Live does warn about other services - particularly if you've ever purchased something through a Windows Live service, or signed up for a for-pay service. That, apparently, needs to be closed separately (I do wish they would say exactly what services it's located that fall into this category.)
But realize, that it could be just about anything you've ever done on MSN, Hotmail, Messenger, Windows Live or more - because it's all really one account.
And if you give up in frustration? Well, then you've done the right thing, because as I mentioned above, simply walking away from the account after removing any and all personal data is by far the easiest approach to take.
So tell me, what am I missing? What is it about closing a Hotmail account that makes it so important?
Article C3918 - November 1, 2009
Leo A. Notenboom has been playing with computers since he
was required to take a programming class in 1976. An 18 year career as a programmer at Microsoft soon followed.
After "retiring" in 2001, Leo started Ask Leo! in 2003 as a place for answers
to common computer and technical questions. More about Leo.
I have tried to stop my account and to no avail and I have had issues with someone hacking this account and contacting my young nieces pretending to be me and asking them to undress etc..this is horrendous and one of my friends has said there is a suicide site that comes up when you google my full name and that the guy on this site has my profile page with all my hotmail details including when I am signed in and I have tried to find out what to do, help me please .
11-Oct-2010
Posted by: marcelle at October 11, 2010 3:52 AM
Interestingly enough I tried your method 5 years ago. I walked away from my hotmail and haven't used it in years. However, just recently, my account was hacked and is now sending spam email under my name to my old contacts list. This is the reason people want to delete their accounts. Having old accounts in your name is a recipe for trouble, and there's no earthly reason why the desire to close an account should annoy anyone. We want to save MSN the data space for a service we don't use, and we want to save ourselves the hassle of coming back years later to change passwords for an account we don't use just because someone hacked it when we couldn't figure out how to delete it.
Posted by: Gilbert at November 14, 2010 8:11 PMI get the impression that people really aren't getting the help they've come for. I don't want to 'stop using my account' or 'ignore it', I want it closed. It should not be this hard to close an account. I've attempted canceling my Microsoft account, per the instructions that I got once trying to close my hotmail account. I'm getting taken in circles and I don't want to just 'not check' my hotmail account. It was compromised and people are receiving emails from 'me'. I've changed my password, I've deleted all of my contacts, to no avail. I just want the account closed.
27-Nov-2010
Posted by: Concerned email user at November 27, 2010 6:56 AM
I found this (finally). It closed the account once and for all for me. Cheers //Andreas
1. Go to http://mail.live.com/mail/CloseAccountConfirmation.aspx
2. Log in with your Windows Live ID and password.
3. Click on "Close account."
Posted by: Andreas at December 9, 2010 10:38 AMIs it really so hard to answer the question instead of questioning the help you are suppose to give us? Then when people have genuine reasons for trying to gather this information you don't answer. And what's with the 9 points under this comment box, you are clearly hiding your inability to put your words into action, or give a logical explanation for your unhelpful attitude to simple question and answers.
18-Jan-2011
Posted by: captureMMstature at January 18, 2011 9:32 AM