Summary: 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?
Related:
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How do I close my Windows Live Hotmail account? It's easy to close a Windows Live account, including Hotmail. I'll show you the steps, but then ask: why bother closing the account?
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How do I contact Windows Live Hotmail customer service? People ask every day how they can reach someone at Microsoft to help with Hotmail problems. You can't phone, but there is now on-line help for Hotmail.
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Are free email services worth it? Free email services and accounts are convenient and ubiquitous. But free email services aren't the right place to keep your important information.
Article C3918 - November 1, 2009
I have a couple of email addresses that I've "closed" that is I stopped using them. I do, however, check them aoout once a month because a couple of times I've received an email from a long lost friend whom I hadn't contacted about my change of address who wrote me at that "closed" address. If you don't feel like logging on to that address you can add that acct to your email client and click on it periodically and comb through the spam and possibly find a valuable email.
Posted by: Mark Jacobs at November 1, 2009 11:27 AMIf an email account is closed, the email service provider will eventually allow someone else to choose that user name (the name that appears to the the left of the @ sign.) Even if your user name is unique, there's always the possibility that someone else will apply for and receive that name. Personally, I'm paranoid enough to not want someone else "impersonating" me. So as suggested, just stop using the email account but check it periodically for incoming mail.
Posted by: Mary at November 2, 2009 4:44 AMbut i don't use or want MSN, Hotmail, Messenger, or Windows Live. yet when i tried to remove windows live, NOTHING would run, so i had to restore to a previous date. i'm using a wimpy laptop w/o much juice, & all this sneaky windows crap that gets loaded on surreptitiously results in a very slow machine.
Posted by: jim at November 3, 2009 6:45 AMSUPER, Leo, just yesterday I was "complaining" (lower case "c") that I thought I had closed my Hotmail account and then found to my surprise that it still existed. NO problem; I agree 100% with you. Thanks for the excellent answer and PERFECT Timing!
Posted by: Ken Laninga at November 3, 2009 8:01 AMIn my case the email is of no concequence, its the other crap that occurs. The other crap?, the automatic MSN butterflies that appear in the FAVORITES tool bar everey month. How do I get rid of it?????
Posted by: George C. at November 3, 2009 12:20 PMMicrosoft will gather some data most of it useless from keeping the account open. The agreement that you signed electronically by pushing "I agree" will stay. You just have to wait for the EU to slam them with another privacy violation. Best is to uninstall or block as much as possible of Microsoft products to plug some information that my leak that way. It is a matter of trust.
Posted by: Dan at November 3, 2009 7:14 PMWhat's wrong with Hotmail? I receive a lot less spam with their service. With Yahoo!, I receive up to 25 or 30 spams each and every day. Someone (usually a crook from another country) is always sending "money transfer" requests or inheritance from people I don't even know. Never once have I received such crap on Hotmail. We live in a free country, do as you wish, but I love Hotmail (and Operamail is also good, but not as good as Hotmail).
Posted by: Charles Tilley at November 3, 2009 11:22 PMHey Jim, it is not that you are subscribed to Windows Live or Hotmail, it is that you are letting it (Windows Live or MSN Messenger) run at startup. No amount of opting out of accounts or closing them will help. Go to the "Start" button (or orb, if in Vista), go to "run" in XP, type in "msconfig" (without the quotes), go to the "selective startup" thingie, and find Windows Live or MSN Messenger in there , and turn it off. Problem solved.You can have a hundred Windows Live accounts, and if you do this, you will never be aware you have them.
Posted by: Alex Netherton at November 5, 2009 6:18 AMI have used HOTMAIL for many nears and have much info stored there. I have two questions: 1. How do I download the contents of Hotmail to my computer? 2. How do I remove the recently added "Windows Live" portion from my computer? When I added it I was assured that I could remove it if not happy with it. I am not happy. But I am unable to uninstall it. I also used a beta uninstaller for WL, but the beta will not open on my Powerbook G4 Mac. Ron
Posted by: baldo134 at November 11, 2009 5:04 PM