I want to replace my current email used in my computer as a Microsoft log in

Hi!

1. Open Windows Settings > Accounts > Your info > Under Microsoft account, click Sign in as a local account.
2. Click Next > Enter your email or Windows login password.

- If you don't remember your credentials, you must recover your account. Otherwise, you will need to create a new user.

3. Enter your user information > Next > Sign out and finish.
4. After unlinking your email account from Windows, restart your PC > When it starts, relink your email account.

When you sign in with a Gmail account, a Microsoft account is created using your Gmail as an alias.

To use Gmail instead of the old Hotmail address as the Microsoft sign-in on the PC, the Gmail address must be added as an alias to the Microsoft account, set as primary, and then the old address can be removed (if desired). Note that this changes the Microsoft account itself, not just on one device.

Steps to change the sign-in email (alias) on the Microsoft account:

1. Go to Manage how you sign in to Microsoft:
   • Open a browser and sign in to the current Microsoft account (the Hotmail one) at the page referenced here: Manage how you sign in to Microsoft.
2. Add Gmail as an alias if it is not already listed:
   • Under account aliases / sign-in preferences, choose Add email (or similar option) and add the Gmail address.
   • Complete any verification steps sent to Gmail.
3. Make Gmail the primary alias:
   • In the same Manage how you sign in page, under Account aliases, select Make primary next to the Gmail address.
   • Note: The primary alias is what appears on devices and is used for sign-in and verification codes.
4. (Optional) Remove the old Hotmail address:
   • Still on the same page, select Remove next to the old Hotmail alias if it is no longer needed.
   • Important: If the Hotmail address is removed and it is a Microsoft-domain address (like @hotmail.com), that alias is permanently deleted and cannot be associated with any Microsoft account again.

After this, Windows 11 will treat the Gmail address as the main Microsoft sign-in for that account. If Windows is currently signed in with that Microsoft account, it will update to show the new primary alias (Gmail) as the administrator account email.

If there is a separate Microsoft account already created with Gmail and the goal is to switch the PC to that entirely different account, that would require signing out of the current Microsoft account in Windows and switching the Windows sign-in account, which is separate from changing aliases. The context provided only covers changing aliases and primary sign-in email on the same Microsoft account, not merging or migrating data between different accounts.

References:

• Which account do you want to use?
• Add or remove an email alias in Outlook.com
• Link your Google account and Microsoft account
• Change the email address or phone number for your Microsoft account
• MSN email issues - Microsoft Q&A
• I realize I have 2 different accounts. How do I combine the 2? - Microsoft Q&A