Windows Live Hotmail

Get this and more Windows Live services all at once

Windows Live Hotmail: The full version

Familiar with Microsoft Office Outlook? Have a broadband connection? The full version of Windows Live Hotmail is perfect for you.

• 5 GB of inbox storage
• Hassle-free, one-glance security info on every incoming message
• Works more like Microsoft Office Outlook: customizable reading pane, drag-and-drop organization, and more

If you haven't updated your MSN Hotmail to Windows Live Hotmail, do it here.

Don't have a Hotmail account yet? Get one here.

To see all these features, please switch to the full version of Windows Live Hotmail by going to your "options" page.

Want the familiar look and feel of MSN Hotmail, or have a slower Internet connection? Learn more about the classic version of Hotmail.

Quick links

Award-winning

PC Magazine® Editors' Choice, February 20, 2007, Windows Live Hotmail (beta)

In an independent review of next-generation, free e-mail services, PC Magazine awarded Windows Live Hotmail a prestigious Editors' Choice Award in February, 2007.

_{PC Magazine Editors’ Choice Award Logo is a registered trademark of Ziff Davis Publishing Holdings Inc. Used under license.}

The color of safety

Screen shot of security alerts in Windows Live Hotmail

We want to make security so simple you don’t even have to think about it. The bar at the top of your message comes in two colors which alert you to suspicious e-mails:

Red: This means the message appears to be a “phishing” or fraudulent e-mail.
Yellow: The message is from someone who's not on your contacts list. (If the "unrecognized sender" is actually a friend of yours, clicking “Mark as Safe” teaches Windows Live Hotmail to always recognize them as a known contact.)

Help protect your children

Screen shot of contacts list in Windows Live OneCare Family Safety

Windows Live Hotmail now works with Windows Live OneCare Family Safety. Family Safety's built-in contact approval helps you know exactly who your kids are talking to on IM, e-mail, or their blogs. You can approve or disapprove each new contact for their Windows Live Hotmail, Windows Live Messenger, and Windows Live Spaces.

Easily manage multiple Hotmail accounts

Screen shot of switching between e-mail accounts in Windows Live Hotmail

Have more that one Hotmail account? Now you can log in once and easily switch between other accounts, just by linking them via your Windows Live account settings.

Search your inbox, search the Web

Screen shot of the search box at the top of Windows Live Hotmail that allows you to search your mail as well as the Web

One search box at the top of Windows Live Hotmail gives you the power. Find the perfect image, the latest news from the Web, or a particular e-mail message you got last year.

Reading pane

Get quick previews of your e-mail with the reading pane. Cruise from message to message without reloading the page each time. Double-click to see the full content. You can also change your inbox layout to make the reading pane appear on the right, or at the bottom of the screen.

Drag and drop

Screen shot of dragging and dropping e-mail between folders in Windows Live Hotmail

Grab it, drag it, drop it in a folder. You are now officially a power user.

The wonderful world of right clicking

Screen shot of a shortcut menu opened by right-clicking an e-mail message in Windows Live Hotmail

Right click power, activate! Right click on a message to reply, delete, or almost anything else. It works for folders, too.

Don’t type, click!

Screen shot of a list of available contacts to include in an e-mail

Got a message you want to send to more than one person? Click the “To” button in the message you’re writing to see a list of the people in your address book. Scroll down and click on the people you want to add. Easy!

Fly your own colors

Screen shot of color themes available in Windows Live Hotmail

Make it yours. Now you can choose your own colors and more.

Mobile Mail

Screen shot of Windows Live Hotmail Inbox on a mobile device

Send e-mail from your Web-enabled cell phone or other mobile device. It's easy: To get started, just click here.

More seamless connections with Windows Live

See that little Windows flag logo in the upper left corner of Windows Live Hotmail? Click it for more ways to connect and be more secure, including instant messaging, blogs, and all kinds of other stuff that works together seamlessly.

Get it

Windows Live™ Services