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Do unused Microsoft accounts get deleted?

Your account might be closed or deleted
After that 60 days, your account and data expire. Your account was closed because of inactivity If you haven't signed in to your account for a long time, it might expire due to inactivity, according to the following schedule.
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How long until a Microsoft account is deleted?

If you close your Microsoft account, there's a 60-day grace period during which you can change your mind and reopen your account. After 60 days, your Microsoft account will be permanently deleted. See How to close your Microsoft account for more info. Go to account.microsoft.com and sign in.
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Does Microsoft permanently delete accounts?

After the grace period, the account and all its associated data will be permanently removed from Microsoft's servers. If you change your mind within the grace period, you can reactivate your account, but you will lose your data.
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Why does Microsoft delete inactive accounts?

Microsoft reserves the right to close all “inactive” Microsoft accounts. Except as provided below, you must sign in to your Microsoft account at least once in a two-year period to keep your account active. If you don't sign in during this time, Microsoft will consider your account to be inactive.
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Does Outlook automatically delete inactive accounts?

In general, inactive Outlook accounts are automatically closed after two years.
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How To Get Back Your Deleted Microsoft Account | Reopen Microsoft Account! Recover Microsoft Account

Do unused email accounts expire?

When could my email address expire? Because of the risks associated with inactive email accounts listed below, free email providers have set “expiration dates” for inactive accounts – usually ranging from 3 to 24 months.
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How long do inactive email accounts last?

When you have been inactive in Gmail, Google Drive (including Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, Drawings, Forms, Jamboard or Sites files) or Google Photos for 2 years, all of your content may be removed from that product.
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How long does an Outlook email account stay active?

To keep your free Outlook.com account active, you must log in to your Outlook.com inbox at least once during a 365-day period. Microsoft closes Outlook.com email accounts automatically after one full year of inactivity.
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How do I recover an inactive Microsoft account?

After 2 years of inactivity, your Microsoft account will be deleted and cannot be recovered. 2. If your account was marked inactive it would not exist. Accounts that have been removed have a 60 day waiting period before the address is again available.
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Do most companies delete inactive accounts?

Some companies delete accounts if they are inactive for a certain period of time. You can avoid this happening to the account by checking in frequently, or by using services that automate that for you.
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Will Microsoft delete my email account?

Microsoft does not send emails to notify about deactivating email accounts. Accounts can only be closed manually by the owner, or if the account becomes inactive for at least two years.
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How long will Microsoft keep deleted accounts before permanently deleting it?

After the 90-day retention period ends, Microsoft disables the account and deletes the customer data. No more than 180 days after expiration or termination of a subscription to Microsoft 365, Microsoft disables the account and deletes all customer data from the account.
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Can a Microsoft account be recovered?

The recovery form is available at https://account.live.com/acsr. Collect as much information as you can about any Microsoft services you may have used with this account. The more information you can include when filling out the form, the better the chance you'll have of regaining access to your account.
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What happens to unused Microsoft account?

Your account might be closed or deleted

You might not be able to sign into your account because it's closed or deleted. You closed your account If you closed your Microsoft account, you have 60 days from that closure to sign in and reopen it. After that 60 days, your account and data expire.
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Does Microsoft suspend accounts?

To help protect your account from fraud or abuse, Microsoft temporarily locks accounts when unusual activity is noticed. To unlock your account, sign in to your Microsoft account and follow the instructions to get a security code.
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Why does it say my Microsoft account doesn't exist?

In addition, the error "Microsoft Account does not exist" usually means: The person is logging in using an Alias. If the user renamed the affected email address into a new account, the original account will become an Alias.
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Does Microsoft delete inactive Xbox accounts?

If a person doesn't sign into their Xbox account for 5 years, it will be freed up by the system. But keep in mind the tag system is in use on other services, so even if it's not in use on a console, it may be in use elsewhere.
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How do I find my old Microsoft account?

Lookup your username if you have security info set up on your account
  1. Look up your username using your security contact phone number or email address.
  2. Request a security code to be sent to the phone number or email you used.
  3. Enter the code and select Next.
  4. When you see the account you're looking for, select Sign in.
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Does Microsoft suspend email accounts?

It is absolutely a phishing scam message intended only to get the log in credentials to your account and should definitely be ignored / deleted. Microsoft would never send out a message like that - would just never happen.
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How do I know if an email account is still active?

How to Check if an Email Address is Valid
  1. Method 1: Send an Email to the Address. Perhaps the most straightforward way how to check if an email is valid is to send a message to it. ...
  2. Method 2: Password Recovery. ...
  3. Method 3: Perform an IP Address Lookup. ...
  4. Method 4: Search the Address in Google. ...
  5. Method 5: Email Checker.
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Is Microsoft deleting Hotmail accounts?

Microsoft is moving all of its Hotmail users to Outlook.com by this summer. Here's what the hundreds of millions still using Hotmail need to know about the transition.
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How do I know if my Microsoft account is valid?

Sign in to Manage how you sign in to Microsoft. A Verify button will be next to any unverified aliases. Click Verify next to your email address, and then click Send email.
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How long does an inactive account last?

Generally, a time frame of 3 to 5 years with no customer-initiated activity sends an account into dormancy. Activity that will help to avoid an inactive account usually includes: Depositing or withdrawing funds.
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How long can an account be inactive?

Inactive Accounts

Generally, an account is considered abandoned or unclaimed when there is no customer-initiated activity or contact for a period of three to five years. The specific period is based on the escheatment laws of each state.
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Should you remove inactive emails?

Low engagement rates might send your emails to the recipient's spam folder directly. That means, your inactive users will hurt your list even more. Hence it is best to remove them.
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