Already used, but deleted or changed gamertag.

Violent Nomad · Apr 23, 2019

Hi, i recently wanted to make a new gamertag, so i was brain storming ideas and searching the names on xbox live to see if they were in use.. I searched the name i wanted and nothing came up, letting me know that it is not in use. I create my new account
and go to change the name to what i want but it says that it has been taken. So i assume someone just got it within the few minutes it took me to make a new account. I re-check it. Still nothing. So i try again and it says the name is taken. So i get in the
xbox support chat and explain everything, the guy tells me the gamertag was used in the past but has been deleted or changed. However it may take years for the system to make it usable again. So i call customer support to see if they could unlock the name
since its not even attached to an account or even being used. They said the same thing and referred me to here.

Can someone with the ability to make a difference please look into the xbox gamertag system? I feel like this is pretty ridiculous that people can just make names and delete them or change them but its still locked for “YEARS”? Who is to say that trolls
aren’t just out there making GT’s and then getting rid of them so other people cant use them?

:)

Violent Nomad

Yeah, i spoke with support and they said its not in use anywhere. So they need to take a look at their failed system and stop holding GTs hostage for 5 years.

baltyofgod

The Gamertag has a very long lifespan if it is not used, but is connected to Microsoft services that are difficult to abandon altogether. I suggest you have a cool GT created by you

Smwutches

Hi Violent,

Sometimes when gamer tags have not been used or been changed Microsoft needs to release these. Not sure if you remember about 3-4 years ago, Microsoft released over one million unused gamer tags back into the system. You will have to wait until Microsoft
does this again. There is no telling when this will happen. That was the first one that they did so it took 14 years to do one release.

Thanks,

Brad

2021 would be the next release since the new policy was put in place in 2016. The last release was done one 2016 and was not the first one.

Smwutches

Actually if the system says it's taken then it is in use somewhere on Microsoft's services. The tag system is used on other Microsoft services, so even if it's not in use on an Xbox, it may be in use elsewhere. The only way to get the tag is if the original
owner changes it to something else or if they don't sign into the account for 5 years (starting in 2016) it will be freed up for use. There is no other way to get the tag.

GreenJester8559

after several years, some gamertags will free to use

Already used, but deleted or changed gamertag.