Inactive gamertag policy

x JeffDAX x · Aug 14, 2020

I changed my gamertag back in 2007 and a few years ago went to reclaim it only to find it was taken I’ve watched the account and it has been inactive for several years and I saw someone post that after 2 years an imactive gamertag can be claimed. Is this
true and if so how do I go about claiming it do I have to call support because when I try to change it it tells me the name is taken.

:)

ImaginaryNeon

Change the gamertag on the inactive account then it'll be freed up

Smwutches

As of August 31, 2019, if a person does not sign into their Microsoft account within 2 years that would be closed which should free up the gamertag. Staring in 2016, if a person doesn't sign into their Xbox account for 5 years, it will be freed up. So the
earliest it would be freed up would be 2021. If it's freed up, you would just need to change your gamertag and you should be able to use the tag. However, if it's still in use or someone else gets it before you, you can still use the tag, but the system will
add a # and numbers to differentiate the tag.

Keep in mind that the tag system is in use on other services, so even if they're not using the account on an Xbox, it may be in use elsewhere.

SumApples

But the policy states after 2 years you can take the gamertag if inactive?

Jean-Francois✔

In this case, Microsoft may need to set up a different policy regarding inactive gamertags ...

Smwutches

There has never been a policy that a gamertag will be released after 6 years of inactivity. However, there is a rule that states a gamertag will be released after 5 years of inactivity. Since that started in 2016, the earliest you would see the tags freed
up is 2021.

Inactive gamertag policy