One of the most common Hotmail-related questions we get asked frequently is” does Hotmail allow aliases?”
The answer is “Yes”. Hotmail (outlook.com) allows aliases.
This article describes how to add or remove an alias in Outlook.com, and explains how you can use an alias as a way of signing in without having to remember another username.
What Is An Alias In Hotmail (Outlook)?
An alias is a second email address that works with your existing account in Outlook.com and www.Hotmail.com.
For example, if your name was [email protected], you could add an alias of [email protected] for your friends.
It doesn’t create a separate mailbox. An alias allows you to send and receive mail with different addresses, but they all go to the same inbox.
You can use aliases to:
- Protect your privacy. Create an alternate address for a specific purpose, such as shopping online or setting up memberships. For example, if your main email address is [email protected], you can set up aliases like [email protected], or netflixerm[email protected]. This will keep your primary email address safe.
- Set up unique addresses for different people who share one computer. For example, [email protected] or [email protected]).
- Send mail from another address without having to change accounts.
- You can also use an alias as a “mask” so that when people you correspond with see your email address, they’ll only see your alias and not your primary Outlook.com username.
How Do You add a Hotmail alias to outlook
i. Log into your Microsoft live account.
ii. Click “your info” on the top menu bar.
iii. Scroll down to account info and click on “sign in preferences”.
iv. Add an email or phone number as an alias.
v. You can also increase extra security by managing your sign in preferences. This will allow only the aliases you choose to sign in to your primary account.
Note: If your Hotmail alias is not working, it could be because of the following reasons:
- You have added a work or school email account as an alias.
- You added an alias that is associated with an existing Microsoft account. You cannot add as an alias an account that is already linked to another account. In addition, you cannot use any of your existing outlook.com, Live, MSN or Hotmail addresses as aliases.
Note also that you cannot create an alias on @msn.com, @hotmail.com or @live.com. If you have important information in your email account, log out of Hotmail and create a new account with a different email address.
How Many Outlook (Hotmail) Aliases Can I Have?
You can have up to 10 aliases associated with your Microsoft account.
How Do I Find My Alias In Outlook?
All aliases are available in your Microsoft account under the “manage how you sign into outlook section” of Your Info.
Your main address will be listed as the primary alias, and other aliases will be below it.
How Long Does It Take For An Outlook Alias To Work?
It depends on what time of day you create the alias. Normally, it takes a few hours for the email to be ready and working as a Microsoft account alias. If you set it up at night, it might take longer, because that’s when the servers are busy updating.
Outlook sends a confirmation email to your new alias address so that you can verify that you own it. Once you’ve confirmed that, Outlook will start routing all emails sent to that address to your Outlook account.
