It was a service introduced in the late nineties; it was at a time when email communication was relatively new and the concept of free emails was a rarity. With this service people realized the convenience of signing up for an account or several and use them to maintain correspondence over the web and access their account from any computer linked to an internet connection.

It has undergone several changes after that. It was acquired by Microsoft who made it part of the MSN portfolio of services. Hence, those who had a domain could also access different services under the MSN banner. As the consolidation efforts of Microsoft continued, it was made part of the Live domain; as a result, one could access their account through the domain as well as through msn.com or Live domain. Today the Outlook web mail service has been launched by Microsoft and has been made part of the Outlook domain as well.

You might have the need to export or import contacts from your account. If you are looking to export your it, here are some steps to follow:

• Sign into your account through the unified login panel in Outlook.
• In the upper left corner of your account’s main page, click on the down arrow.
• Here you will find people option; click on the manage function; here you get the export function choice. Choose to save the file on your desktop.
• This file can be uploaded into any email contacts, settings as required.

If you wish to export it from your email, the above steps ensure that this is easily done. For those who have a subscription bought for MSN Plus, here you can easily synchronize between Outlook Express and your contacts. You will be able to export it from one to another in any format or to any desired application.

If you wish to import it from different email accounts into your account, this is done in a reverse but similar way. For instance:

• Log on to the email you have and visit the account main page.
• Go to settings, especially the section for managing it.
• Here you will find the option to export or import.
• When you select the export option, you will get the option to download the contacts from the account and save them in a desired location or format.
• Now you can log onto your Hotmail account. Visit the section called People or Manage contacts.
• Here you will find the option to import contacts. When you click on this option, you will have choices to choose from such as import contacts from which source and so forth.
• Specify the location and your contacts will be imported into your account.

With this service having undergone several changes under Outlook and Live domain, there are many more reasons to use this service. You get a more secure web mail experience; the quick account access feature provides a preview of the incoming mails, reducing your time of viewing the mail contents, even the attachments that come with your emails. There are easy ways to organize your inbox and use the mobile app to stay connected to your account. With different aliases you can get correspondence from different IDs to the same account.

The above points highlight how Hotmail is a versatile and modern updated email service. If you have an account that has been lying unused, this might be a time to start using it and as the main email account as well.

Accounts are part of the unified domain of Outlook, which is the new web based email service of Microsoft. When Hotmail was launched in the nineties, the process of setting a password was not a stringent process. As a result, all one had to do was choose a unique password for their account that was easy to remember.

With time there arose several security concerns for users. Many found their accounts hacked into; this led to the questioning of how the passwords were set and how users needed to make their passwords iron clad so that passwords could not be hacked easily. Over time Microsoft introduced the two step verification process which helps to ensure that account access is more secure for all users and they provide certain information which helps to retrieve passwords in a secure manner even if they are forgotten.

When we talk about the two step verification process it is also called the two factor authentication method or 2FA. This is an advance layer of security that is added to Microdot accounts. It makes it difficult for hacking activities to happen. The two layer authentication process is added to Outlook.com through which all Microsoft account services are covered, including Hotmail.

There are different ways to activate the two step verification process such as:

• Certain additional inputs are required, such as a secondary email address where password reset links can be sent.
• One can get the security codes to bypass their password entry or get verified by registering a phone number that is valid.
• The other way is to download the authenticator app that is a novel feature introduced by Microsoft.
• Once you activate the two step verification process through your account security settings, you will be prompted to enter an additional security code that can be sent as email or a text message. This helps to verify that the person who is logging into your account from another place or device is the authentic or original user.

The authenticator app is a handy feature that helps you overcome the problem of having to remember your password. The app can be installed on your smart phone. In the account security settings, you will get the option to download the app for verification. There are certain steps you need to follow:

• You will be asked to select the device that you are using, whether it is an iPhone, Android or a Windows phone.
• Once you choose the right phone options, you will be given a link for installing the authenticator app.
• A bar code would appear that needs to be scanned and pair your device with it.
• A code would be generated on your device and you can use that to complete the pairing of your device with your account.

When it comes to registering an email account, one will find the field to input the details on the account security setting page. When the email address is keyed in, a verification link is sent to the email address. This needs to be clicked in order to verify that the email address is correctly provided.

The other process is by registering a phone number. This also requires verification. A code is sent as a text message. Once the code is keyed in, the phone number is registered for the two step verification process.

The inputs that are taken in for the two step verification process are also useful for resetting the password of one’s email account. One has the option to choose between getting a code sent to their registered phone number that helps to authenticate the user; the email service, then sends across a reset link to the registered email address. In such ways it is easier and hassle free to change or reset one’s email address as required.

If you have had an account and rarely use it, this might be the time to start using it again. Even though there were times when it compared poorly to modern email services like Gmail, today Microsoft offers a revamped and modern email inbox experience to the Hotmail users. It was launched at a time when web based email service was an unknown concept; since its launch and with millions of subscribers, it fell back against competitive services in the early part of the millennium as it was hacked into easily and the basic features of the service led users to using other alternative email services.

The modern and revamped domain now integrates with Outlook, the Windows based email platform that has now become an open, web based service. With the new integrated email domain, users can look forward to several new features. Among the new tools and functionalities, there is a renewed focus on cleaning up an email inbox and how easily users can organize their emails into different folders or categories.

Today gray mail makes up most of the emails that land in our inbox. For instance, we receive newsletters, promotional emails from different services and retail portals, spam mails that somehow get into our inbox and so forth. It has been found that gray mail constitutes about seventy five percent of the mail that lands in our inbox. In order to get rid of clutter and organize the relevant emails into proper categories, here are some steps to follow:

• One can take up automate or schedule clean up function that is offered in the new domain account.
• You could schedule to keep latest messages from certain senders.
• You could program your inbox to get rid of messages that are older than ten, thirty or sixty days.
• You might schedule to move messages older than a specific timeline to certain folders.
• The Sweep function is a new feature of the consolidated email domain. With this one can easily manage emails in different folders. It is easy to sweep all emails of a certain category into a certain folder or set a scheduled time for a folder to be cleared and so forth.

Besides the sweep and folder organization options, there are more ways to clear clutter and keep only emails that matter in one’s inbox such as:

• There is a feature to unsubscribe in the tools section of your inbox; choose certain spam emails that you do not wish to receive or newsletters that do not interest you anymore; after that click on the unsubscribe function and you would have unsubscribed from receiving such communication.
• The ready list of categories is created and can be found in the top section of your inbox; simply click on certain emails and choose the kind of category they should be placed under.
• Blocking senders are another way you can ensure that you do not receive certain annoying emails in your inbox.

The above points showcase how inbox has certain new features and tools that help you stay organized and remove clutter from your inbox. All you need to do is schedule certain actions and set up the categorization of your emails. Once these functions are executed you will not have to spend time to clean up clutter in your email inbox manually.

If you wish that you could have different email accounts with diverse usernames but be able to route all the emails of such addresses to the same inbox, it becomes possible with the alias feature that Microsoft makes possible in the new integrated Outlook and Hotmail domain. As a result, the legendary email account that many have possessed and often stopped using for long, now comes with this option.

If you are wondering what the alias feature is, it comprises of the following:

• For the same email account or username that you have with it, you can create different aliases.
• You could create different usernames such as [email protected] or [email protected]; use them for receiving different kinds of email correspondence.
• These aliases will get all the emails directed to the same inbox.

The feature of aliases is not anything new as other email services like Gmail also offer the same. The usual way to add aliases is to use the “+” feature; with this sign you could add on different email or usernames and have the emails sent to the same inbox.

There are several features added to the alias aspect. For instance:

• With every alias you choose, you get an email inbox that is separate.
• When you reply to messages they get routed to the right email address or sent from the alias address you are replying from.
• One can swap between the different alias email addresses so that sending out outbound messages becomes easier.

If you wish to know how you can manage aliases on the new domain, here are some tips provided:

• The primary alias or username remains the one that you signed up with at the time of creating the account with it.
• This primary alias will show up as the account name when the profile information is viewed.
• Aliases are considered secondary usernames which you can control and use to sign in to your Microsoft account as well.
• It is possible to add on ten or more aliases to a primary account on Hotmail.
• If you wish to add or remove any alias email, there are accounts settings options where you can go to edit such details.
• If you wish to add an alias you can sign into your account and go the setting called You Info; here you will find the option of how to manage your sign in process; here you can add a phone number and email address to any existing alias account you have.
• The instructions to verify your alias account remain the same as for any primary account. This consists of getting a verification link to the email address you saved or a security code to the phone number you register.
• If you wish to remove any alias ID you created, the same steps can be followed. All you need to do is visit the account information page in your main account page and here you will be able to delete an alias account under Manage Your Info section.

With the convenience of alias accounts that lead correspondence from different accounts to the same inbox, it becomes easier to handle personal and professional correspondence at the same time. One might wear several hats such as work as an email marketer, have an online business or several portals; with alias feature available, one can create several usernames for correspondence linked to such aliases and manage them from a centralized account at the same time.

It is a service that was launched in the late nineties and transformed how email service was perceived. It helped free people from having to pay for internet subscription services to access an email inbox. With it all one had to do was have access to the world wide web; this enabled one to open up free accounts with it that could be used to conduct correspondence with others anywhere in the world.

Hotmail was soon acquired by Microsoft. At the time was taken up, it had gained popularity and had about eight million or more subscribers. By the time Microsoft made it available through localized servers in different parts of the world, it had gained thirty million and more subscribers in a time span of two years.

The domain was consolidated in different ways by Microsoft. It was initially made part of the MSN domain after which it became part of Microsoft Live services. The final stage of integration came from when the email was integrated along with other email and account services of Microsoft. With the integration under Outlook, which is the new web based email service launched by Microsoft; there are new features and inbox layout characteristics that one can avail of:

• Users can make use of alias based multiple accounts.
• They can use features such as Sweep which helps to organize clutter in a single sweep, categorize emails and set up Instant actions for different kinds of emails that come into one’s inbox.
• The change started to take place in 2012 and was completed in 2013. The existing accounts of email users were moved to Outlook domain that did not disturb the email correspondence saved in such accounts as well as other features and data such as contacts, calendar events and so forth.
• With the transition of email onto Microsoft’s Outlook domain, the Office 365 was the base platform that allowed new calendar layouts, a filtering service that helped to organize clutter and had different theme designs that could be incorporated for one’s inbox.
• Users found their contacts, calendar events and emails saved as before, but the organizational layout was different.
• The security features of it were upgraded as the two step verification feature was activated in all Microsoft accounts. As a result, the users need to update details like an alternate email account, a phone number or download the authenticator app on their phone to use the two step verification feature. This helps to make login to one’s account secure and easy for passwords to be retrieved in a secure manner.
• There is an active view feature that allows email users to view the contents of their email directly and be able to interact with the contents. Hence, if photo attachments are present, one can see them as previews through active view. With partnerships with services like LinkedIn, Flickr, YouTube and others, when the attachments are of such services, the contents are easy to view. Updates can be checked for popular social networking accounts and one can follow conversations, post replies and comments as they see fit.
• Integration with Twitter and Facebook accounts allow one to receive updates from such accounts and not have to visit these sites separately to view updates or to reply or make comments or posts.
• The integration of Office Online is another advantage offered in the new inbox. With the Office integration one can easily share documents, spreadsheets and presentation files; they can be created and edited on any computer as long as they are saved in one’s inbox.
• Skype is another integrated feature of the new inbox. It is easy to simply pull up the application that is part of the inbox interface and start a conversation; one does not have to get Skype separated on their desktop.
• A sweep is a handy feature that allows users to put aside large emails, delete unnecessary ones which are moved to specific folders with a single action. Custom message rules can be set up for the sweep function to be carried out on certain messages and at a certain interval of time.
• Quick view and aliases are other handy and novel features of the new inbox. You will be able to create additional emails with aliases as well as use the quick view feature to shortlist emails of certain categories quickly.

The above points are some of the salient new features that one can enjoy with the new Hotmail inbox interface.

It is an email service that was launched way back in the late nineties. After it was acquired by Microsoft, it has undergone several changes. However, the domain was kept active and the features and ease of account usage were enjoyed by users. In the new millennium Microsoft stepped up efforts to consolidate the service. There were also security issues that concerned most of the account users. Today it is consolidated under the Outlook suite of email services that Microsoft offers.

The modern email service has several benefits to offer such as:

• Security is heightened for this service as the two step verification process has been launched by Microsoft. Those who might have experienced hacking issues in the past can be more sure of a secure account even if they login into their account through different devices.
• It has a modern interface that it shares with the Outlook unified domain. The interface is similar to the modern Microsoft Outlook, which has unlimited storage, contacts management feature as well as a calendar, integration with applications like Skype, Office Online and OneDrive.
• There are several modern features in the inbox that email users can make use of. For instance, colorful tagging and one sweep feature to organize clutter are some wonderful ways to manage mails and make correspondence categorization easier.
• Social media accounts can be easily checked with your account. With the integration of popular social media services, you can check updates on Facebook and other social media platforms through an account.
• Email users can use Office online that allows users to create, edit and share Office documents, spreadsheets, presentations and others. This makes it a handy feature for official email communication.

The above features are some of the benefits that users can avail of in the new accounts. For those who wish to create a new address, they can do so by logging onto the Live or Outlook domain of Microsoft. Here one can find the link to sign up for a new account for any service of Microsoft. Hence, at the time of account creation one can specify that they want the domain address for their email account.

The above points help one to understand what they stand to benefit from a email account. Those who already have a email account can enjoy these new features as well as use ID as the consolidated ID for any service of Microsoft.

It is an email service that was launched at a time when only internet subscription services were prevalent. Along with such subscription people could avail of an email account. However, Hotmail and Yahoo were some of the pioneers in launching a web based free email services. With Hot mail people realized the pleasures of free email exchange and being able to sign up for as many accounts as one wished to. Hence, people could register for multiple email IDs that helped them use these as accounts of communication for personal or work purposes.

The account in the past had a simple process of registration whose salient features were:

• One had to key in certain basic inputs such as choice of username, password for which there were no restrictive guidelines.
• One could easily create multiple accounts and register the same.

Through the registration process was easy in the past; there were certain security issues that arose. Many people found their accounts easily hacked into. For such reasons the registration process was made a bit more stringent with emphasis on the right choice of password and the two step verification process.

The new steps to registering an account are as follows:

• The domain is integrated with Outlook.com. Though the domain does not have a separate existence, one can get an account through the integrated account opening service of Microsoft.
• On visiting Live.com or Outlook.com one will find the link to create a new account.
• Upon clicking this link, one is redirected to the new account opening form.
• Here one requires to key in details like first and last name, username of their choice and choosing the domain address.
• One is required to choose a username that is unique and not already registered with Microsoft or among existing users.
• The password needs to be at least eight characters long and should be a combination of alphanumeric characters along with case differences and special characters.
• One has to agree to the terms and conditions after keying in other additional details like country of residence and providing gender and other basic details.
• One can opt for the two step verification process. For securing the account further, one needs to save additional details like an alternate email address, their phone number and choice of two security questions along with the answers.

The above steps are the basic ways to get an account in the present. Registration remains easy and can be completed in a few seconds. The email account that is created with an account address can be accessed through the Outlook web browser address or through mobile applications. As a result, one can stay updated with their email communication on the go. The new inbox as integrated with Outlook offers several new features. These include several changes in the inbox layout and management features, ways to integrate social media accounts with one’s as well as being able to use Office in integration with one’s account. These are some of the many benefits that come of registering for a new account.

This is an email service that was launched at a time when it was a novelty to use a free email service. Launched in the late nineties, was one of the pioneering email services that helped free up email communication from the shackles of internet service providers. Many people discovered the delight of the email that was easy to send from a free account as long as one had a working internet connection.

At the time when it was formed, it was easy to sign up for a free account. The basic steps comprised of the following:

• One had to click on the link to sign up for a free account.
• The sign up page required one to key in a username of their choice as well as a password for their account.
• There were no stringent norms in the choice of password or username; however, the username had to be unique and not already present in the database of registered users.
• There were other optional fields to be entered such as first name and last name, gender details and home address.

With the above basic steps it was enough to sign up and get a free account activated. However, there were some security concerns that came up later on as there were no restrictions in the choice of passwords, making it easy for hackers to invade the accounts of unsuspecting users.

Since the time it was formed, it was then acquired by Microsoft in whose hands the email service went through several changes. It retained its separate domain for quite some time, but was also made part of the MSN portal. Hence, those who wished to acquire an account during such times could do so by logging onto MSN and finding the login panel. Here there was provided a link through which one could sign up for an account following the steps mentioned above.

It was then made part of the Live domain of Microsoft. This was part of the integration effort that Microsoft put in to consolidate the different email and account services under a unified portal. Today when one wishes to sign up for an account they need to follow the steps mentioned below:

• The domain does not have a separate existence and one is redirected to live.com or outlook.com domain.
• Here there is a login panel for all Microsoft account users.
• There is a link provided to sign up for a new Microsoft account.
• On the account sign up page one is prompted to enter details such as choice of username and password.
• The username needs to be domain specific and one can choose to have an email address.
• The password needs to be at least eight characters long, alphanumeric in combination and comprising of case differences as well as special characters.
• The other fields that need to be keyed in are first and last name, country of residence and gender.
• On accepting the terms and conditions one completes the basic inputs for a sign up page.

There is additional security information that one is encouraged to fill in, such as an alternate email address, phone number and choice of two security questions with answers. These details help to activate the two step verification process as well as ensuring that you can retrieve your account password easily in case it is forgotten.

The above steps showcase how one can sign up for an account in modern times. These steps help one to gain access to the modern inbox and interface of Outlook service that is integrated for the account users as well.

The email service was launched at a time when people were new to the concept of using an email service that was based on the World Wide Web. Indeed, at such a time email accounts were linked to internet subscription services. With it and other services like Yahoo, the concept of free email services was introduced to the world. Hotmail was launched and made available through localized domains across the world.

At the time when it was introduced, the account opening was a simple process. The dangers of internet hacking and spamming activities were not given much thought. Hence, the security of accounts comprised of the following:

• People had to choose a unique username and password for their account; there were hardly any stringent norms in setting password for accounts.
• The password recovery process was simpler and it comprised of being provided the old password back for re-use.

The above points showcase how security settings were low for account users. As the service continued and people enjoyed the ease of opening up new accounts with email, they also came across issues of unfiltered spam mails cluttering their inbox; many also found their accounts being hacked into easily.

As Microsoft acquired the company and made it part of the MSN service, the password setting terms were also changed to make it more difficult for accounts to be hacked easily. The option to stay logged in one’s account remained but users were also advised to do so only when using a dedicated computer or mobile device.

Microsoft consolidated and made several changes in the domain along with its other web based services. As spamming and hacking threats and reports continued, it was realized that the accounts had to be made more secure and for that the following steps were taken:

• Emails that came into user accounts were subjected to filtration to reduce harmful spam and virus infested mails from entering the mail server systems.
• Users were asked to choose a password for their accounts that would be at least eight characters long, combination of alphanumeric characters, case differences and special characters as well.
• Users were asked to change their password over time and to enter additional information in the security settings of their account that included a choice of two security questions and answers.
• The two step verification process was introduced; this included adding an alternate email address, phone number in the security settings of one’s account. The two step verification process would be activated if one tried to access their account from a different device or location.
• Microsoft also makes provision of bypassing the password entry requirement by the authenticator application. This comprises of a security code that is sent to the user’s phone and automatically verifies the login for the user.

The above steps are some ways that Microsoft has helped ensure a more secure inbox experience for the users. Today, mail users can securely log into their account from anywhere; they can use their account simultaneously from any device or any location. The option to stay logged in once one key in their username and password makes it easy for one to access their email account. At the same time, the two step verification process comes on when one tries to log into their account from a new device or location. When one has difficulty remembering their account password, there are multiple ways to recover or reset the same.

The above steps allow users to have a secure email and inbox experience with it that has come under the Outlook web based email service of Microsoft.

It is a service founded by IT entrepreneurs Jack Smith and Sabeer Bhatia in the year 1996. This was the first web mail to be launched, around the same time when the Yahoo mail service was launched. It symbolized freedom from the shackles of paid internet subscription services which was the only way people could use email prior to the launch of web based free email services.

It was initially an easy web email service to use that allowed anyone to sign up and create an account for free. The steps for registration and use of the services included the following:

• One had to key in basic inputs like the choice of username, password and other details that were optional.
• There were hardly any restrictions on the choice of username and password for an account.
• In case one forgot the password of their account, there were simple ways to recover the same.

Though the creation of account was an easy process, this also led to certain security issues. For instance, many people found their accounts being hacked into. Many found their password to have been changed by unknown sources. For such reasons, many found it not to be a safe email service to use.

Soon after it was launched, it became a service that was acquired by Microsoft. The email domain maintained its separate existence, but also was integrated with MSN. As a result, the users of MSN services found accounts easy to access through the MSN portal as well. As hacking and security concerns continued, there were certain changes made in the password requirements of accounts such as:

• One had to ensure that they chose a password that was unique and at least eight characters in length.
• The password had to be a combination of alphanumeric characters as well as case differences along with special characters.

Besides the above requirements for a strong password to be associated with one’s account, the two step verification process was also launched. This is a prime feature of new accounts that requires some additional information:

• One needs to register an alternate email address where account recovery information can be sent.
• On keying in a registered phone number, one can avail of the authentication feature that surpasses the need to key in a password every time.

The above points help one to activate the two step verification feature on their account. It also helps to fortify the account recovery process.

In case one needs to recover their account password they can do the following:

• Choose the “forgot password” link.
• This will redirect them to a page where they are asked to key in the alternate email address that they have registered with the account.
• The user needs to provide their username details once again to get the password reset link to their alternate email address.
• At the alternate email address an email is sent with a link to reset the account password.
• By clicking on the link one is redirected to domain; here one can reset their password by creating a new password for their account.
• This leads to activation of the account and access is granted once again.

The above steps help one to recover their account password. Usually one can choose to stay logged into their account and do the same on different devices. In case one chooses to log in from a new device or location, the password is sought for security measures. When one opts for the two step verification process and has a registered phone number, they can surpass the password and get authentication done by getting a security code sent to their mobile app which verifies a login session every time.