I've had my .NET Passport -> Windows Live ID for a very long time. Since that time, I've changed my primary email address and would really like to not have to use my email from highschool to still get access to everything in the Microsoft world. My MSDN account is tied to it, as well as SkyDrive and Xbox Live. Can I change my login email to use a different one, without having to start a new account? If so, what are the steps I need to take and places I need to go to get that changed globally for all of the Microsoft webapps that I use?
4 Answers
Go to https://account.live.com
You should see your account information. In the line that shows your email click on the Change link and follow the prompts:
Windows Live ID: [email protected] Change
You will only see the change link if you did not use a @hotmail.com or @live.com address to sign up.
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Perfect! Changed my email address and now all my accounts, including Xbox Live, MSDN and Skydrive are all switched over! Thanks! Aug 5, 2010 at 13:00
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@RyanHayes: SInce I have a similar problem but instead of using some obsolete school email I'm still using some obsolete previous company address... So just a question: which new email provider are you using that you changed it to? I'm using GMail and for some reason Microsoft account page always tells me that I should try later as if they're preventing me from using rival's email address... So which email did you change it to? Oct 12, 2012 at 16:15
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I'm using an @gmail.com address now as my live ID, which works just fine for me. Oct 13, 2012 at 4:13
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My account uses a now dead company email address, and when I try to change it I get "The email address associated with your Microsoft account can't be changed". Will just have to create a new account I guess... Jan 30, 2013 at 15:12
I think the best you can do is go to https://account.live.com/ and setup your new account as a linked account.
Linked accounts let you switch between account quickly by clicking on your name. You can log into any of the accounts and then switch.
Skydrive
One word... stuffed. You could try emailing support, but I think you are stuffed. I would like to know how you get on.
MSDN
If you log into https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/subscriptions/manage/default.aspx and from hee there are links to send a request to switch your live id.
Xbox
If you go onto your xbox and go to your account page you will see an option to chnage the live account associated with your gamertag.
For future proofing
I recomend buying your own domain (I own Hinshelwood.com) and using this as your live account. That way you can point it at any email account you like and keep the same address for life.
Just right click on the SkyDrive icon in your icon tray (lower right screen of your computer) and click on "settings". Then click the "unlink Skydrive" button. It basically logs you out of your old account and lets you login with your new one. When setting up the new email address, just click to keep the file locations the same on your computer and viola!
All your old files will be linked to your new email address!
The originally accepted answer from hcris is no longer accurate. Now (at least of 2014), you access your primary account login through Account Settings -> Aliases. Once you change your primary alias, you can then use it to log in to all your Microsoft related accounts.