When you log on to Outlook or Hotmail you will find several functions and features with a modern outlay. There are calendars and task functions as well as contact organization and webmail facilities which one can enjoy in the new Hotmail inbox. With Outlook and Hotmail merged as a new web based email platform, there is more accessibility provided and attracts more users across the world.
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Login features of Hotmail in yester years
The login steps for Hotmail account were simple in the initial days. The following steps were required to be completed to log into Hotmail accounts:
- One could access Hotmail domain by typing Hotmail.com or MSN.com
- One could log on through the MSN home page or Hotmail main page.
- The login panel only required one to key in their username and password.
- One could check the option to stay logged in. This helped them to be able to access their inbox directly and was recommended for single user systems.
The steps mentioned above helped users to log into their respective Hotmail accounts. However, often this simplified login process along with ordinary password choice and incorrect use of computers led to breaches in security of email accounts. Hence, today Microsoft introduced several features that will help to make logging into the account a more secure experience and ensure that your account does not get hacked easily.
Benefits of new Outlook domain
If you look at the features that Hotmail offers as part of Outlook there are several advantages to gain:
- The metro based interface design of Outlook can be enjoyed by Hotmail users as well.
- One will enjoy unlimited storage as well as new calendar and contact management features.
- It is easy to integrate one’s Hotmail account with the different Microsoft services. These include Office Online, OneDrive, Skype and others. These make it even more beneficial and attractive to the existing Hotmail users or new ones.
- The account security aspects have been enhanced to ensure that users have a secure email experience as well as be able to log onto their account through mobile devices.
The login process of the new unified web mail platform of Hotmail provides access to a whole new inbox experience. One will find their old and existing correspondence here, which can be arranged with the new features and amenities that are provided on this platform:
- There are easy sweep features to organize clutter email as well as to organize emails in different folders.
- There are several new features to enjoy as well, such as OneDrive, Skype, Office Online and other services that Microsoft provides. While OneDrive and Office Online are part of the inbox experience, there are other services that one can enjoy with the login details of Hotmail.
Hotmail login process
The new login process comprises of visiting the new Outlook domain. For those who have not accessed their Hotmail account for long they can follow the steps mentioned below:
- One can simply type in Hotmail.com or MSN.com as they did before and they would be redirected to the new domain.
- The front page displays a common login panel for all Microsoft services. This should not deter anyone as Hotmail is part of the offerings of Microsoft. One can start by keying in their username which is the email address in full.
- The next page seeks your password information.
- Once these details are correctly keyed in, you would get access to your existing Hotmail inbox with a new look and feel.
New Hotmail account features
For those who wish to create a new account in Hotmail, they will find a link to create a new account. The account creation form is common for all Microsoft services. All one needs to do is choose a unique username as well as a password. There are certain guidelines that need to be followed for password creation. These pertain to choosing a password that is at least eight characters long and is a combination of alphanumeric characters as well as special characters. There are additional details that are required as well. For instance, first and last name, an alternate email address, country of residence as well as a registered phone number, these details can also help to secure one’s account further and confirm identification in case one is logged out of their account.
Secure login features of Hotmail
Security is another aspect that has been revamped for Hotmail users. There is the option of two step verification process which one can activate for their account. There are certain additional details that are required as input in the security settings of the account section of Hotmail. One needs to save additional details like an alternate email address as well as a registered phone number. Both details need to be verified.
When these details are saved in the account, these can be used to retrieve lost password as well as verify one’s account access if Microsoft detects a login attempt from a different device.
In case one has forgotten their account password of Hotmail, there are different ways one can retrieve the same:
- There is a link provided below the login panel. By clicking on this link, one is taken to the next page where one needs to key in the alternate email address provided or choose to get a text message with their registered number. Once the verification is done, one is provided access to create a new password for their account.
- There is additional information that can be saved such as choosing two security questions and saving answers to them. At the time when one needs to retrieve their password these questions came to help.
The two step verification process can be activated to make logging into your Hotmail account a more secure experience. This requires a code to be typed in, which is sent as a text message to the number you register on your account. You could also choose to sync your phone with the account and use a security code to bypass keying in the password every time. These are some of the benefits Microsoft provides to ensure that Hotmail users have a secure logging in experience.
Hotmail login also applies to mobile Outlook apps. These provide you the advantage of logging into your account on the go; all you need to do is download the app and log in using your Hotmail account credentials. This will make Hotmail a more user friendly email service to use. With Hotmail on the go, this email can be used to check business correspondence, create as well as share different Office documents and so forth. There is integration provided with social media accounts as well. Hence, one can easily see updates, posts and conversations on such platforms and take part in the same. Hotmail users who continue to use this service will be able to do much more with the new features.
Many people hold Hotmail accounts from the late nineties or the early part of the millennium when Hotmail started. Today it is part of the new Outlook email service that Microsoft has launched as a free web based service. The web mail interface, layout and other features have changed, but one can still access their old correspondence and folders they had created on this platform.
Hotmail has been in existence from the late nineties. It was launched at a time when web based email services were a novelty. Today there are several users who have used Hotmail for several decades now. As it was bought by Microsoft soon, it was made part of the MSN platform through which, existing as well as new users could access Hotmail. Soon Microsoft decided to integrate the different email services that it owned. They were brought into the Live domain. Outlook was launched a few years back, freed from the desktop based email system that it represented in Windows. Today Microsoft has integrated Hotmail and Outlook on the same modern web mail interface.
At the time when Hotmail was launched, it helped introduce the concept of free email service based on the World Wide Web. Users experienced the freedom of being able to create an account that was free on this platform. One could also access their email account from any computer in the world which was connected to the internet. It is small wonder that the beginning years of Hotmail there were as many as 8.5 million subscribers and today there are millions more.