How to Delete a MSN Address

Deleting an email address can mean many things, especially when it comes to MSN addresses. Because MSN, Hotmail and Hotmail Live accounts are essentially the same thing, it may be necessary to delete or close an address ending in @hotmail.com instead of @msn.com to inactivate an account. Additionally, MSN and Hotmail Live Messenger store addresses, both of the people to whom you send mail and also of people who have used your computer to sign into an MSN account. Thus, you may be looking to delete one of those addresses, not closing your account completely. Whatever your goal, there are some simple solutions to accomplish it.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Delete an Address From the Dropdown List

1. Log in to your Hotmail Live or MSN Messenger account.

2. Locate the Control Panel, click on "User Accounts" and, if there is more than one account associated with the program, choose the one you wish to continue using.

3. Find the "Manage Network Passwords" link and click on it. Choose the address you want to delete and click the "Remove" or "Delete" button. The wording will vary depending on which version of the program you are running.

4. Log out of Messenger and close it using the "Exit" option. Re-boot your computer. When you restart MSN or Hotmail Live, the address should be deleted.

Delete Your MSN Account

5. Consider the pros and cons of giving up your MSN or Hotmail address. Canceling your account may save you some money, but it will also allow someone else to claim your former username. If you don't send a change of address email to all of your contacts, you run the risk of having someone else get your private correspondence and, possibly, identifying information.

6. Inactivate your address if you're not willing to give up your username yet. It's actually quite easy to do--simply abandon your account by not using it. After 90 days, your account will be placed in an inactive status. This means you would have to re-activate it to reclaim the username, but nobody else will be able to use it either.

7. Cancel (or delete) your account for good. Log in to your account at Hotmail's website or open your email inbox in Windows Live Messenger (see Resources). To do this in Messenger, simply click the "Open email inbox" link.

8. Click your email address to access the menu used to customize your account. Go to View Account -> Settings -> Common Tasks. Find the "Close Your Account" link and click on it.

9. Enter your password and click "Yes" to confirm you want to cancel your account.

Resources

• Hotmail