Change Your Email Address in Outlook Desktop and Web

You can change the email address associated with your Outlook account in two ways: by updating the address in your account settings (which changes how you sign in), or by adding a new email alias so people can reach you at a different address while keeping your current one active. The method you choose depends on whether you want to replace your current email entirely or add another one alongside it.

If you use Outlook on your desktop computer, the steps differ slightly from Outlook on the web. Both routes take about five to ten minutes and do not require you to reinstall the program or lose any of your emails, contacts, or calendar entries.

Key Takeaways

  • Changing your primary email address in Outlook requires you to update your Microsoft account settings, not the Outlook program itself.
  • Adding an email alias lets people send messages to a new address that arrives in the same inbox, without removing your original address.
  • If you change your primary email, you will need to sign back into Outlook using the new address.
  • Outlook on the web and Outlook desktop both sync to the same Microsoft account, so a change in one place affects the other.
  • You can have up to 10 email aliases on a single Microsoft account, though only one can be your primary address.

Add an Email Alias (Keep Your Current Address Active)

An email alias is a second address that delivers to your existing inbox. People can send mail to either your original address or the alias, and both messages land in the same place. This is the safest option if you want to use a new address without losing access to your current one.

Go to account.microsoft.com and sign in with your current email and password. Click Your info in the left sidebar, then scroll down to find Manage your Microsoft account. Select Email & accounts. Under the section showing your current email address, click Add email alias. Type the new address you want to use, then click Next. Microsoft will send a confirmation code to your current email address — check your inbox, copy that code, and paste it into the box on the screen. Click Verify. Your new alias is now active, and mail sent to either address will arrive in your Outlook inbox.

You can set which address appears as your "from" address when you send mail. In Outlook on the web, open a new message, click the From field, and choose which address to send from. In Outlook desktop, go to File > Options > Mail > Compose messages, then select your preferred sending address from the dropdown next to Default Account.

Change Your Primary Email Address

If you want to replace your current email address entirely, you will change your primary address in your Microsoft account. This is permanent — your old address will no longer work to sign into Outlook or any other Microsoft service, though you can add it as an alias afterward if you want to keep receiving mail there.

Sign in to account.microsoft.com with your current email and password. Click Your info, then Manage your Microsoft account, then Email & accounts. You will see your current primary address listed at the top. Click Make primary next to the address you want to switch to. If the address you want is not yet listed, click Add email alias first, verify it, and then return to make it primary. Microsoft will ask you to confirm the change — click Yes, make this my primary account. You will be signed out automatically.

Sign back in using your new primary email address and your password. Your Outlook inbox, calendar, contacts, and all other data remain exactly as they were — only the address you use to sign in has changed. If you have Outlook installed on your desktop computer, you may see a prompt asking you to update your account. Click Update account and sign in with your new address.

Update Outlook Desktop After Changing Your Email

If you changed your primary email address and use Outlook on your computer, the program may ask you to re-enter your credentials the next time you open it. Click Update account when prompted, then type your new email address and password. If you do not see a prompt, go to File > Account Settings > Account Settings, right-click your account name, and select Change. Update the email address field to your new address and click Next. Outlook will verify the change and reconnect to your mailbox.

If Outlook shows an error after you update, try signing out completely and signing back in. Go to File > Account Settings > Account Settings, select your account, click Remove, then click Yes to confirm. Close Outlook entirely, reopen it, and click Add Account. Enter your new email address and password, then let Outlook finish the setup process. This usually takes two to five minutes.

Change Your Email in Outlook on the Web

Outlook on the web (the version you access at outlook.com) automatically reflects any changes you make to your Microsoft account. You do not need to do anything in the Outlook program itself — once you change your primary address or add an alias in your account settings, it appears in Outlook on the web when ready.

If you want to verify the change took effect, sign out of Outlook on the web completely. Close your browser or click your profile picture in the top right corner and select Sign out. Then go back to outlook.com and sign in with your new email address. Your inbox, folders, and all messages are there exactly as before.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Do not change your primary email address if you use it to sign into other services like OneDrive, Xbox, or Microsoft 365 subscriptions — those will stop working until you update them with your new address. Before you change, make a list of every service that uses your current email and update each one afterward.

Do not close Outlook or restart your computer while it is updating your account information — wait for the process to finish, even if it seems slow. If you interrupt it, you may need to remove and re-add your account. If you added a new alias but it is not showing up as an option in Outlook, wait 15 to 30 minutes for the change to sync across Microsoft's servers, then close and reopen Outlook.

Do not delete your old email address if you want to keep receiving mail there — add it as an alias instead. Once you remove an address from your Microsoft account, you cannot receive mail at that address anymore, and you may not be able to use it again for a long time.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I have two email addresses active at the same time in Outlook?

Yes. You can add up to 10 email aliases to a single Microsoft account, and mail sent to any of them arrives in the same inbox. Only one address is your primary (the one you use to sign in), but you can send and receive from all of them. Go to account.microsoft.com, click Email & accounts, and add as many aliases as you need.

What happens to my emails if I change my address?

Your emails stay in your inbox. Changing your email address only changes the address you use to sign in and how people contact you — it does not move, delete, or hide any of your existing messages, folders, or attachments. Everything remains exactly where it was.

Do I need to tell my contacts about my new address?

If you added an alias, no — your old address still works, and people can keep using it. If you changed your primary address, yes — your old address will no longer receive mail unless you add it as an alias. Send a message to your contacts letting them know your new address.

Can I change my email address back if I made a mistake?

Yes. Go to account.microsoft.com, click Email & accounts, and make a different address primary. If your old address is still listed as an alias, you can make it primary again. If you deleted it, you may be able to add it back, though Microsoft sometimes prevents reuse of recently deleted addresses.

Why is my new email address not showing up in Outlook after I added it?

Changes to your Microsoft account can take 15 to 30 minutes to sync to Outlook. Close Outlook completely and reopen it. If it still does not appear, sign out of your Microsoft account (go to account.microsoft.com and click Sign out), wait five minutes, then sign back in. This forces a full sync of your account settings.