[SOLVED] What is actually happening when you "Login"/create MS account with Gmail address?

Solution
Wait how'd you have for over a decade I always believed people required a Hotmail/Outlook email to sign in Win10 esp at startup, or was that just Windows..
Or in iCloud's case they used to force you create an iCloud address as to push their ecosystem/services on you
Long long ago, I had to register at MS with "an account" for something or other.
Gmail, being new and literally invite only at the time...I tried using that one.
It was accepted, and I've used it ever since.

Long long long before Win 10 was a thing.

I have no reason to believe a non-Hotmail.com/Outlook.com would fail to work today.
Of course MS wants you to think that is must be one of those...but try it otherwise.

kenzy9

Honorable
Nov 18, 2018
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10,535
I've been using a gmail address for me "MS account" for well over a decade.
It is just a username/password - userID. They don't require it to be "outlook.com' or similar.
is it same thing as iCloud now where when it asks to create an acocunt, you can enter a non-iCloud email as the log in?
 

kenzy9

Honorable
Nov 18, 2018
73
2
10,535
No idea about iCloud particulars...but an account is an account.
Its just a log in, they mostly don't care.
Wait how'd you have for over a decade I always believed people required a Hotmail/Outlook email to sign in Win10 esp at startup, or was that just Windows..
Or in iCloud's case they used to force you create an iCloud address as to push their ecosystem/services on you
 
Last edited:

USAFRet

Titan
Moderator
Wait how'd you have for over a decade I always believed people required a Hotmail/Outlook email to sign in Win10 esp at startup, or was that just Windows..
Or in iCloud's case they used to force you create an iCloud address as to push their ecosystem/services on you
Long long ago, I had to register at MS with "an account" for something or other.
Gmail, being new and literally invite only at the time...I tried using that one.
It was accepted, and I've used it ever since.

Long long long before Win 10 was a thing.

I have no reason to believe a non-Hotmail.com/Outlook.com would fail to work today.
Of course MS wants you to think that is must be one of those...but try it otherwise.
 
Solution

gmagdna

Prominent
Jul 16, 2018
127
15
595
You can fix the [random letters and numbers]outlook.com address issue. Go to Fix Outlook Issues and Find the section "Outlook.com email account appears as "outlook_[long series of letters and numbers]@outlook.com" in Outlook for Windows [WORKAROUND] ". It's typically caused by a non-MS address being as the primary or alias account in Outlook. Worked for me last week when I got tired of looking at the wrong address. being displayed.https://forums.tomshardware.com/javascript: