# How Do I Delete A Hotmail Account? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 20, 2010, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-delete-a-hotmail-account/554436 "2010-09-20T17:29:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2010, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-delete-a-hotmail-account/554436/1 "2010-09-20T17:29:57Z")
The title says it all. Thanks in advance for replies. ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2010, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-delete-a-hotmail-account/554436/2 "2010-09-20T17:43:31Z")
> [@](#): > > **Close your MSN Hotmail account** > > [ul] > [li]To close a free Hotmail account, sign in to Hotmail using the account. Click **Help** , and then follow the instructions in the topic named “Close your MSN Hotmail account.”[/li][li]To cancel an MSN Hotmail Extra Storage account or other MSN subscription, go to [MSN Billing](https://billing.microsoft.com/lang/en-us/def/def/login.aspx).[/li][/ul] > Note > A free Hotmail account becomes inactive if you do not sign in for 30 days, or within the first 10 days after signing up for an account. Once an account becomes inactive, all messages, folders, and contacts are deleted, but the account name is still reserved. If the account stays inactive for a further 90 days, it is permanently deleted. [http://help.msn.com/(cHJvamVjdD1ob3RtYWlscGltX2ZhcSZtYXJrZXQ9ZW4tVVMmY3U9JnRtdD1Ib3RtYWlsUElNX0ZBUSZmb3JtYXQ9)/help.aspx?querytype=topic&query=PIM\_PROC\_CloseAcct.htm](http://help.msn.com/%28cHJvamVjdD1ob3RtYWlscGltX2ZhcSZtYXJrZXQ9ZW4tVVMmY3U9JnRtdD1Ib3RtYWlsUElNX0ZBUSZmb3JtYXQ9%29/help.aspx?querytype=topic&query=PIM_PROC_CloseAcct.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2010, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-delete-a-hotmail-account/554436/3 "2010-09-20T17:45:07Z")
Thanks **Duckster**! ---
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2010, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-delete-a-hotmail-account/554436/4 "2010-09-20T17:51:02Z")
OK, I’ve signed in, and can’t see where HELP is. Also, FWIW, it’s been inactive for months and nothing was automatically deleted. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2010, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-delete-a-hotmail-account/554436/5 "2010-09-20T18:31:18Z")
> [@Contrapuntal](#): > > OK, I’ve signed in, and can’t see where HELP is. > > Also, FWIW, it’s been inactive for months and nothing was automatically deleted. Probably “Help Center” in the lower right corner. ---
**Author:** ![Man\_With\_a\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/cab0a1/32.png) [@Man\_With\_a\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Man_With_a_Cat)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2010, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-delete-a-hotmail-account/554436/6 "2010-09-20T18:53:01Z")
I had a Hotmail account YEARS ago, and went through the steps **Duckster** found. Several **months** later, for kicks I tried to sign in. MSN asked if I was interested in re-establishing the account. I was doing something with Windows Live or some such MSN nonsense at the time and thought, “oh what the hell”. Next thing I know, there was my old inbox with about 3500 messages I’d missed, all my old contacts and everything. When the Earth cools after the nuclear Armageddon, all that will remain will be cockroaches and millions of old Hotmail accounts. ---
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2010, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-delete-a-hotmail-account/554436/7 "2010-09-20T20:42:54Z")
> [@hogarth](#): > > > [@Contrapuntal](#): > > > > OK, I’ve signed in, and can’t see where HELP is. > > > > Also, FWIW, it’s been inactive for months and nothing was automatically deleted. > > Probably “Help Center” in the lower right corner. Nope, that didn’t do it. ---
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2010, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-delete-a-hotmail-account/554436/8 "2010-09-20T20:57:43Z")
OK, it now says my account is closed. We’ll see what happens. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2010, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-delete-a-hotmail-account/554436/9 "2010-09-21T00:04:39Z")
Does using POP count? Because I have Gmail set up to check my hotmail–I only used hotmail because I could get the address I wanted. (Oddly, although my name is not taken, it is the name I use on YouTube, so Gmail will not let me make a Gmail account with it. Weird.) ---
**Author:** ![antonio107](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7ea924/32.png) [@antonio107](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/antonio107)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2010, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-delete-a-hotmail-account/554436/10 "2010-09-21T02:19:04Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > Because I have Gmail set up to check my hotmail–I only used hotmail because I could get the address I wanted. Say what?!? Hotmail does Auto forwarding now?