File:Microsoft_Outlook_Icon_(2025–present).svg · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons
Outlook.com
Sign in to saveAlso known as Outlook, Microsoft Hotmail, Windows Live Hotmail, MSN Hotmail, HoTMaiL
Outlook.com, formerly Hotmail, is a free personal email service offered by Microsoft. It also provides a webmail interface accessible via web browser or mobile apps featuring mail, calendaring, contacts, and tasks services. Outlook can also be accessed via email clients using the IMAP or POP protocols.
Key facts
- Website.name
- Outlook.com
- Website.logo
- Microsoft Outlook Icon (2025–present).svg
- Website.logo_size
- 150px
- Website.screenshot
- Outlook inbox features.png
- Website.screenshot_size
- 250px
- Website.caption
- Screenshot showing Outlook.com inbox (with an open Skype window) on Outlook.com's own webmail interface
- Website.ipv6
- Yes
- Website.commercial
- Yes
- Website.type
- Webmail, calendaring, contacts, and tasks
- Website.registration
- Required
- Website.language_count
- 106
- Website.num_users
- 500 million
- Website.content_license
- Proprietary
- Website.owner
- Microsoft
- Website.founder
- Sabeer Bhatia and Jack Smith
- Website.launch_date
- (as Hotmail) (as Outlook.com)
via Wikipedia infobox
Wikidata facts
- Official website
- outlook.live.com
Show 7 more facts
- social media followers
- 1214670
- inception
- 1996-07-04
- Commons category
- Outlook.com
- Alexa rank
- 14
- service status information URL
- admin.microsoft.com/servicestatus
- web feed URL
- outlook.live.com/mail/0
via Wikidata · CC0
~24 min read
Article
29 sectionsContents
- History
- Launch of Hotmail
- MSN Hotmail
- Security issues
- Competition
- Windows Live Hotmail
- Transition to Outlook.com
- Transition to new infrastructure
- 2017 redesign
- Features
- Security and privacy
- Office for the web integration
- Skype integration
- Aliases
- Keyboard shortcuts
- Components
- Calendar
- People
- To Do
- Mail client access
- Competitors
- Controversy
- Popularity with spammers
- Requests for contact details
- US government surveillance
- See also
- References
- External links
Outlook.com, formerly Hotmail, is a free personal email service offered by Microsoft. It also provides a webmail interface accessible via web browser or mobile apps featuring mail, calendaring, contacts, and tasks services. Outlook can also be accessed via email clients using the IMAP or POP protocols.
Founded in 1995 by Sabeer Bhatia and Jack Smith as Hotmail, it was acquired by Microsoft in 1997 for an estimated $400 million, with it becoming part of the MSN family of online services, branded as MSN Hotmail. In May 2007, the service was rebranded to Windows Live Hotmail, as part of the Windows Live suite of products. It was changed back to Hotmail in October 2011 and was fully replaced by Outlook in May 2013, sharing the same brand as the Microsoft Outlook software which is offered via a Microsoft 365 (formerly Microsoft Office) subscription.