I’ve had a problem with my Microsoft account (or Live ID, or Hotmail address or whatever Microsoft is calling it this month) for a while now. Like many others it seems, I’ve happened to let a string of bad decisions wind me up with two separate accounts. One is for my Xbox, and holds my Gamertag with years of gaming on it. The other is one that started off for email, but slowly grew into the administrative account I use for my PC. So why can’t I combine them?
Or, at the very least, migrate my Gamertag to a new address?
It would seem like something easy to do, especially since you’re hardly going to keep the first email address you created when you feverishly setup Xbox Live for the first time. It’s a problem I investigated years ago with the rise of Games for Windows – which caused more than a few headaches with games being registered to conflicting accounts. Back then, I attempted to transfer the automatically created Gamertag on my email account (because Microsoft does that) to a dummy one, after which I hoped I could migrate my existing one to my most used email address.
It was impossible years ago, and it still is now. And for the most obscure reasons too. You can, in fact, merge accounts in this manner. Microsoft has a nicely put together list of how to achieve this, but things start going very, very wonky just a few lines in. Let’s look at this closely then.
Firstly, if you want to do this at all, you need an Xbox 360. Despite Microsoft wanting to create this lovely Xbox to PC ecosystem, you’re confined to their older-generation of hardware to achieve what is essentially an administrative process. I’d ask why, but I’d be wasting my breath.
Secondly, the account you’re wanting to migrate your Gamertag to can’t have any of the following things:
- An Xbox Live profile
- A gamertag
- A billing account or any subscription of any kind
- An Office 365 subscription
- OneDrive paid storage
- Any past purchases from the Windows Store
- Any other non-Xbox subscription
The first two are already a bit of an issue. A Xbox Live profile isn’t automatically generated when you create a Live account, but Microsoft does little to warn you when it does create one for you. Logging into anything on xbox.com, or even using it on a Windows Phone and Windows OS could unintentionally put you through the process of creating an account. Thankfully if you’re aware of this, you can simply create a dummy email and just shuffle it to that one. It’s the points afterwards that are far less avoidable.
For example, having a subscription to ANYTHING other than one associated with Xbox. Such as my own Office 365 subscription, which came free with my new laptop. In fact, even owning the trial version of Office puts you out of the running entirely, because your account recognises it as a separate subscription. That’s not even extending to having any purchases from the Windows Store – which I’m sure anyone on Windows 8 encountered at least once over the years.
Ultimately, it’s nigh impossible to migrate your Gamertag over to an account that isn’t just seconds old, and that’s a problem for Windows 10 going forward. Without this streamlined process, the entire idea of an ecosystem is compromised unless you were fortunate enough to secure a single account years ago. Thankfully I can still separate my Xbox App account from my Administrative one on my PC, but it presents unnecessary hassles for getting purchases off the Store (since I’m constantly moving between accounts).
It’s not a isolated issue either, with forum posts dating back to 2011 asking for this entire process to be sorted out. It’s one buried under a mess of security protocols to keep accounts safe, and I understand that. But surely there should be some process that allows me, and thousands of others, to prove ownership of two accounts and simply merge them together.
It’s something I hope the mass uptake of Windows 10 will force Microsoft to look at again, because right now it’s a mess. And it really doesn’t need to be.
Last Updated: July 30, 2015
WitWolfy
July 30, 2015 at 12:44
Was to be expected… Nothing never really works like its meant to when it first releases.
Farseli
August 5, 2015 at 04:25
Actually the issue of migrating a GT from an old account to a new Microsoft Account has been around for years and Microsoft doesn’t seem to care about improving it. My GT is on an email, lets call it xxx@hotmail.com. I made this in middle school and only use it for things I think will be spammy and this GT of course. I currently log in to both of my Windows 10 devices using a Microsoft account on yyy@hotmail.com and if I try to play any games from the Microsoft Store the system will make a GT for yyy@hotmail.com (requiring me to make zzz@hotmail.com and pull our my 360 to transfer this unwanted GT over to zzz@hotmail.com).
If I want to play any of these games at my GT I need to log in to my computer using xxx@hotmail.com even though this email is deprecated for me. I can’t transfer the GT to yyy@hotmail.com because I have made purchases with this Microsoft account (including my Surface Pro 3 which I intended to play Store games on…so in doing so made it so I can’t without frustration.)
ImTheMetalLord
July 30, 2015 at 13:28
OK I get it. Alessandro likes to write negative things about MS. Go for it buddy. You obviously have no idea what you are talking about and do very little research and get paid to write your crap articles.
Alan Wake
July 30, 2015 at 13:30
Thank you, thank god I’m not the only one to see this article has so much logic fail
Dutch Matrix
July 30, 2015 at 14:02
Hey, @imthemetallord:disqus you and @disqus_owa8hKF5Io:disqus forgot to upvote your lover Alan Wake. Come on! Show some support! Don’t just fuck and run! That’s rude!
Alan Wake
July 30, 2015 at 14:18
What ???
MakeItLegal
July 30, 2015 at 18:05
dont fuck and run…apply some lube , logic or condoms to said part , then with manners…upvote
Raptor Gilbert
July 31, 2015 at 14:00
Well in his picture he’s clearly sucking on a PlayStation piece of hardware.
Richard Lane
July 30, 2015 at 13:35
You are an idiot this article never should have been published.
0 to 100
July 30, 2015 at 13:53
had….no…problems….
Geoffrey Tim
July 30, 2015 at 14:04
Stop sucking. Make a new gmail account, migrate everything to there.
ShowanW
July 30, 2015 at 14:13
Who allowed this idiocy to be posted. So it’s Microsoft fault for the horrid decisions you’ve made?…
Thanks Obama…/s
Guest
July 30, 2015 at 16:01
It’s an Obamanation.
Brady miaau
July 30, 2015 at 14:46
On the other hand, I have always been extremely impressed at MS’s ability to keep my home and business seperate on the same login. Very cool.
I use my bank card on Xbox Live, company bank card on MSDN and so forth, all with the same account AND company has no idea about Xbox Live.
“Stop sucking. Make a new gmail account, migrate everything to there.” – yeah, see that.
As an opinion piece, ok, but perhaps a different angle would have been better received
Guest
July 30, 2015 at 16:01
I don’t know what you’re doing, but I’ve seen many people migrating over to Windows 10 without any issues and looking at the comments, the problem is clearly on your side.
MakeItLegal
July 30, 2015 at 18:04
I’d ask why, but I’d be wasting my breath
you are kurt kobain
MakeItLegal
July 30, 2015 at 18:04
as a compliment man , 🙂
MakeItLegal
July 30, 2015 at 18:08
so much HATE….niggas please if you had something to say you would be up here , putting yourself out for the world to see ( good and bad ) these twats bringing you down are all KEY BOARD HEROES , and shitty ones at that @disqus_iEVKr8OCZQ:disqus @disqus_owa8hKF5Io:disqus , please if you guys are gana be dicks , try to pretend to have a girlfriend before you come out here with those virgin views
Raptor Gilbert
July 31, 2015 at 13:59
You can always log into your Xbox live account into your PC and use the mail app for your email. Problem solved
Farseli
August 5, 2015 at 03:13
This is something I’m still struggling with. I made a new email address for professional things and my old email used with my gamertag just gets tons of spam. Unfortunately I also bought a Surface Pro 3 from the Microsoft Store using my professional email. I’ve been trying to get this gamertag over there and until that happens I can’t play anything in the store when logged into my computer without it making a gamertag for this email. I don’t want some new one, I want my actual one moved over to this email and they just seem unable to get this right.
lygamnt
August 10, 2015 at 18:03
I have used the same Hotmail account since before Xbox Live was a thing. Why is it so hard to make an account and use it for everything Microsoft. I do have 2 Hotmail accounts only one is used for MS services Xbox Live, Office etc etc.
DrKiller
September 10, 2015 at 16:22
Still don’t understand why people have multiple email addresses… Just have one to rule the world!