How to lose OneDrive data and subscription with Microsoft’s help

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Thought I should post this as a warning to those who, with or without Microsoft’s technical support, change their MS accounts. Before changing my ISP, my previous provider-based email address was also my Win 8.1 Microsoft Account logon. Some inner perfection obsession led me to want to change that to my new email address. With MS’s technical phone support, I changed the existing logon to a local account, created a new account, and then deleted the old.

OUCH! My OneDrive, including an added storage subscription paid through 2014, was reduced to the free 7gb and empty – not a folder or file to be found. I had a backup on an external drive, but could not restore it due to inadequate space.

I followed up with MS and learned (after the fact) that OneDrive is MS account-specific, and subscriptions are not transferable. There are no refunds, either and I was told support staff need more training and should always warn callers of the implications of changing accounts. They focus on one problem without considering the new ones they create. I ended up repurchasing more storage, at a higher cost than in January in order to restore my data. It could easily have been a disaster, attributed in the end to my own ignorance.

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Surely, if it was MS’s fault then they shouldn’t ask you to pay. This wouldn’t be tolerated on this side of the pond. Perhaps MS think they are above consumer law, not to mention getting poor customer relations. Oh, it’s MS….

Eliminate spare time: start programming PowerShell

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To change the email address on a Microsoft account, it should only be necessary to create an alias (new email address), make that one primary, then delete the old address.

Bruce

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I found that out too late, Bruce, as MS never offered that idea.

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To change the email address on a Microsoft account, it should only be necessary to create an alias (new email address), make that one primary, then delete the old address.

Bruce

Seems like one would still lose the OneDrive associated with the old address because true aliases are no longer used; its a new address, so, new MS account, or is that specifically addressed in the process of making a different email address primary?

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Seems like one would still lose the OneDrive associated with the old address because true aliases are no longer used; its a new address, so, new MS account, or is that specifically addressed in the process of making a different email address primary?

It’s a new address, but not a new MS account:

If you want a new name for your account, you can add an alias, make the new alias primary, then remove the original alias.
Use aliases to add email addresses to your account

I’ve changed the primary email address on my Microsoft account without losing OneDrive quota or contents.

What do you mean by “true aliases are no longer used”? (I can remember that something changed some time ago, but not the details.)

It’s been this way for quite a while now though: Changing Identity in Outlook.com Email

Bruce

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Ah, ok, I see it works for new addresses and “other” addresses but not for existing hotmail, msn or live accounts. That’s where I was confused I think. Must have something to do with the legacy nature of the email domains combined with account conflicts, like existing online storage?

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Ah, ok, I see it works for new addresses and “other” addresses but not for existing hotmail, msn or live accounts. That’s where I was confused I think. Must have something to do with the legacy nature of the email domains combined with account conflicts, like existing online storage?

I think it works regardless of the email address. You keep the Microsoft account, regardless of the alias you decide to use. I am not sure, but this change (allowing the alias to replace and allow you to even delete the original email address) is rather recent – probably less than year.

If you delete an email account, you obviously lose it, but the stuff associated with the account remains untouched. I changed the email associated with my Microsoft account at the beginning of this year, without any issues.

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Add an existing email address as a Microsoft account alias
This email is part of a reserved domain. Please enter a different email address.[/COLOR]

Ya, no. :huh:

I decided to try it…see if I could mess up the works.

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Oh, I see what you mean. I believe that results from the fact that, being email addresses offered by Microsoft, they already have a Microsoft account associated with it. So, yes, you may have difficulties in such a situation.

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