{"id":77,"date":"2020-07-22T09:13:41","date_gmt":"2020-07-22T09:13:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/getgamertag.com\/blog\/?p=77"},"modified":"2020-07-22T09:13:41","modified_gmt":"2020-07-22T09:13:41","slug":"can-you-get-inactive-gamertags","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/getgamertag.com\/blog\/can-you-get-inactive-gamertags\/","title":{"rendered":"Can You Get Inactive Gamertags?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>What do we do when someone has what we want? Or more specifically, the Gamertag we want? Stealing is definitely not the option here, for obvious reasons. Hey, that\u2019s really not an option, okay? Good! You could beg someone and convince them to exchange or let them have their Gamertag. But the chances of that happening would be really slim. Another thing that a lot of people do is buy Gamertags. That\u2019s certainly an option because you\u2019ll find that a lot of gamers do sell theirs. For whatever reason.<\/p>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js\"><\/script> <ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display: block; text-align: center;\" data-ad-layout=\"in-article\" data-ad-format=\"fluid\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-1177508039457305\" data-ad-slot=\"1765807078\"><\/ins> <script>\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\n<\/script><\/p>\n<p>But what if those gamers are not inactive? A lot of times, gamers stop using their Xbox or stop gaming, due to one thing or the other. A gamer being inactive on Xbox means that their Gamertags also become inactive. In that scenario, getting that Gamertag is definitely a possibility. However, it\u2019s not as straightforward. There are a few factors to keep in mind for that. Let us tell you the ways in which you get inactive Gamertags.<\/p>\n<p><strong>See also<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/getgamertag.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Xbox Gamertag Checker<\/a><\/p>\n<h2>Two Year Waiting Period<\/h2>\n<p>Last year, Microsoft decided to revamp their policies when it came to inactive accounts. Gamertags are directly linked to the Xbox account. So its availability would depend on the lifeline of the account. There were a lot of accounts which had been dormant since a few years. So as per the new policy, if a user doesn\u2019t sign into their accounts at least once in 2 years, Microsoft can close their account. This means that once Microsoft closes any inactive account, that person\u2019s Gamertag becomes available.<\/p>\n<p><strong>That won\u2019t always be possible though. You have to keep some exceptions in mind.<\/strong><\/p>\n<h2>Exceptions Of Inactive Accounts Not Being Closed<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Microsoft certification<\/strong>: It doesn\u2019t matter if an account has been inactive for a long time, if that particular account has earned a Microsoft certification.<\/p>\n<p>Basically, Microsoft has many different educational certifications courses which can be purchased. Earning those certifications through the Microsoft account linked with Xbox would mean that the inactive status won\u2019t result in the account getting closed.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Microsoft Store Publishing<\/strong>: If at any given point, certain applications or games are published by a user to the Microsoft Store, that particular Microsoft account doesn\u2019t get closed.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Purchasing A Product\/Service<\/strong>: This won\u2019t really include things that are in the form of a subscription, or even a gift card for that matter. But redeeming or buying a Microsoft service\/product would mean that Microsoft account won\u2019t be closed even if it\u2019s inactive.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Pending Payments<\/strong>: This works in multiple ways. If you are yet to clear any payments to Microsoft or if Microsoft owes you something, the inactive account will not be closed. This can also include a Microsoft account having a gift card or credit that\u2019s been unspent.<\/p>\n<p>Apart from these reasons, active accounts of minor family members that are linked with the inactive account can also be a reason to keep the Microsoft account open. The only way this changes is if the primary account owner closes the account of the minor, the minor\u2019s account also becomes inactive or the minor\u2019s account transitions into a regular account.<\/p>\n<p><strong>See also<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/getgamertag.com\/blog\/how-to-come-up-with-a-good-gamertag\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Getting a Good Gamertag<\/a><\/p>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js\"><\/script> <ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display: block; text-align: center;\" data-ad-layout=\"in-article\" data-ad-format=\"fluid\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-1177508039457305\" data-ad-slot=\"7675489744\"><\/ins> <script>\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\n<\/script><\/p>\n<p><strong>Conclusion<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>So if you really love an inactive Gamertag that\u2019s owned by someone else, your best bet is to be patient and hope that account gets closed one day. But remember, once a Gamertag becomes available, it\u2019s free for all. So only the fastest player will get it. You definitely need luck in this regard. There\u2019s nothing you can do to influence that unless you personally know the owner of the inactive account.<\/p>\n<p>But hey, if you\u2019re really desperate and are willing to try your luck, you could also start counting days backwards and see if that leads to anything. If by the end of year one you still desire the Gamertag, then waiting till the end of second year just might be worth it. If only for the kicks!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What do we do when someone has what we want? Or more specifically, the Gamertag we want? Stealing is definitely not the option here, for obvious reasons. Hey, that\u2019s really not an option, okay? Good! You could beg someone and convince them to exchange or let them have their Gamertag. But the chances of that [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":79,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-77","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tips-and-advice","et-has-post-format-content","et_post_format-et-post-format-standard"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Can You Get Inactive Gamertags?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A lot of times, gamers stop using their Xbox or stop gaming, due to one thing or the other. A gamer being inactive on Xbox means that their Gamertags also become inactive. 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