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Microsoft to Stop Allowing Linked Email Accounts in Outlook, Hotmail

June 18, 2013

Multiple Outlook email accounts

By Paul Thomson :: 9:08 AM

As a security precaution against hacking attempts, Microsoft has announced that it will do away with its longstanding practice of allowing multiple linked email accounts on its Outlook and Hotmail cloud email services.

The mail services provided by Outlook.com and Hotmail have long allowed users to connected multiple email accounts together under a single sign on. However, as hackers with access to one of the linked accounts can then take over the rest of the accounts, Microsoft sees liked accounts as a target that has been increasingly tempting to hackers.

Over the next two months, Microsoft will transition away from linked accounts, and move to support account aliases instead. Users will be given the option to forward email and send messages from more than one email addresses, but will not be able to control multiple email accounts through one sign-on.

Accounts will begin to be unlinked in late July, and the process will take about two months to cover all linked email accounts across the two services.

3 Comments
  1. Muhammad Malik permalink

    how about they give the choice to people who want it! I have multiple emails and it was so easy to just change accounts. I loved that feature and not I have to log off then log in into every account. this sucks.

  2. Andy Neill permalink

    Agreed, Microsoft should give users the option to keep the facility. I understand the hacking risk but i would far rather better authentication than removal of this facility. I am just going to have to change to gmail….

  3. Johnny Swift permalink

    niggers