Outlook.com facts for kids
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Outlook.com inbox with open Skype windows
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Type of site
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Webmail, calendaring, contacts, and tasks |
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| Owner | Microsoft |
| Commercial | Yes |
| Registration | Required |
| Users | 500 million |
| Launched | July 4, 1996 (as Hotmail) July 31, 2012 (as Outlook.com) |
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Content license
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Proprietary and Free |
Outlook.com, once known as Hotmail, is a free email service from Microsoft. It gives you a web-based inbox for emails, a calendar to keep track of events, a place for your contacts, and tools for managing tasks. You can also check your Outlook email using other email programs on your computer or phone.
Hotmail was started in 1996 by Sabeer Bhatia and Jack Smith. Microsoft bought it in 1997. Over the years, its name changed a few times, from MSN Hotmail to Windows Live Hotmail, and then back to Hotmail. Finally, in 2013, it became Outlook.com. This name is shared with the Microsoft Outlook software, which is part of Microsoft 365.
You can get an Outlook account with any Microsoft account. This means you can have email addresses ending in @outlook.com, @hotmail.com, @msn.com, and some older ones like @live.com.
Contents
The Story of Outlook.com
How Hotmail Started
Hotmail was one of the first services that let you check your email online using a web browser. It launched on July 4, 1996. This was a big deal because it meant you could access your emails from anywhere, not just from your home computer. The name "Hotmail" was chosen because it included the letters "HTML," which is the code used to build web pages.
When it first started, Hotmail gave users 2 MB of free storage for their emails. By the end of 1997, more than 8.5 million people were using Hotmail.
Hotmail Joins Microsoft
Microsoft bought Hotmail in December 1997. It then became part of Microsoft's online services, known as MSN. Hotmail quickly became very popular around the world. By early 1999, it had over 30 million active users, making it the biggest webmail service.
Over time, Microsoft connected Hotmail with other services like Microsoft Passport (now Microsoft account) and their instant messaging program, MSN Messenger.
Keeping Your Account Safe
Like many online services, Hotmail faced some security challenges in its early days. These challenges helped the team learn and improve how they protected user accounts. They worked hard to make sure your emails and personal information stayed safe.
Meeting New Competitors
In 2004, Google launched its own email service called Gmail. Gmail offered more storage space and a new look. This made other email services, like Hotmail and Yahoo! Mail, work even harder to improve their own features, speed, and security.
Windows Live Hotmail Era
In 2005, Microsoft started working on a new email system. They called it "Kahuna" at first. The goal was to make it "faster, simpler, and safer." Many people helped test the new service before it was officially released.
The new service was first planned to be called Windows Live Mail. However, testers preferred the well-known Hotmail name. So, Microsoft decided to call it Windows Live Hotmail. It officially launched in May 2007, and all 260 million MSN Hotmail users got access to the new system.
Windows Live Hotmail won awards for being a great email service. In 2008, Microsoft announced more updates to make it even faster, offer more storage, and improve how easy it was to use. They also added the ability to send instant messages directly from your inbox.
In 2010, Microsoft released a big update called "Wave 4." This update added cool features like easy filters, active views for attachments, and 10 GB of space for photos and documents. It also connected with Windows Live SkyDrive (now OneDrive) and Office Web Apps (now Office for the web). This meant you could easily share and work on Microsoft Office documents.
More improvements came in 2011, like the ability to create "aliases" (extra email addresses for your account) and even faster performance. By the end of 2011, security features like SSL (which helps keep your connection private) were turned on by default for all accounts.
Becoming Outlook.com
Outlook.com was first shown to the public on July 31, 2012, as a test version. Existing Hotmail users could try out the new Outlook.com and switch back if they wanted.
On February 18, 2013, Outlook.com officially launched. All Hotmail users were upgraded, and they could choose to get a new @outlook.com email address while keeping their old Hotmail address. By May 2013, Outlook.com had 400 million active users.
Moving to New Technology
In 2015, Microsoft announced that Outlook.com would move to a new, more powerful system based on Office 365. This brought new features like better calendar options and a "Clutter" service to help filter emails. Microsoft also allowed other companies like PayPal to add special tools directly into Outlook.com.
A Fresh Look in 2017
On August 8, 2017, Microsoft launched a new test version of Outlook.com with a faster inbox and a design that worked better on different devices. They also added a "Photos Hub" to help you manage your pictures. The older look of Outlook.com was fully replaced in 2019.
Cool Features of Outlook.com
Outlook.com uses modern web technology to work smoothly in popular web browsers like Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari, and Google Chrome. It has many helpful features:
- Keyboard controls: You can navigate your inbox without using a mouse.
- Search: Easily find messages using keywords or specific details like "from:ebay".
- Organize: Sort your messages into folders and use filters.
- Smart contacts: Addresses auto-complete when you type, and you can group your contacts.
- Import/Export: Move your contacts in and out of Outlook.com.
- Rich text: Format your emails with bold, italics, and different fonts.
- Spam and virus protection: Outlook.com helps keep unwanted emails and harmful viruses away.
- Multiple addresses: Use different email addresses with one account.
- Many languages: Outlook.com is available in over 100 languages.
Keeping Your Information Private
Outlook.com promises to respect your privacy. It does not scan your emails or attachments to show you ads. Your personal conversations are kept private and ad-free.
Microsoft has also added strong security features like two-step verification for your account. This means you need a second code (sent to your phone, for example) in addition to your password to sign in. This makes it much harder for someone else to access your account.
You can also use a "single-use code" when signing in from a public computer. This code can only be used once, which helps keep your account safe.
Working with Office for the web
Outlook.com works well with Office for the web. This means you can open and edit Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint documents directly in your web browser. If someone sends you an Office document, you can open it, make changes, and send it back without leaving Outlook.com. You can also save documents to your OneDrive cloud storage.
Skype Calls in Your Inbox
A special feature lets you make Skype video calls right from Outlook.com. You don't need to open the separate Skype app. This makes it easy to chat face-to-face with your contacts.
Using Aliases
You can create extra, unique email addresses called aliases for your Microsoft account. You can sign in with any of these aliases. All your aliases share the same inbox, contacts, and settings. You can choose to have emails sent to an alias go to your main inbox or a different folder. When you send an email from an alias, the person receiving it won't know about your other email addresses.
Handy Keyboard Shortcuts
Outlook.com offers many keyboard shortcuts. These are very helpful for quick navigation, especially for users with visual impairments or other disabilities.
Parts of Outlook.com
Mail: Your Inbox
Mail is the main part of Outlook.com where you manage your emails. It usually shows your folders on the left, a list of emails in the middle, and the email you've selected on the right.
Mail has an "Active View" that lets you interact with content directly in your email. For example, you can see photo attachments or watch YouTube videos without leaving your inbox. You can also track shipping updates or interact with social media sites like LinkedIn right from your email.
The "virtual broom" feature helps you clean up your inbox. You can quickly delete or move many emails into specific folders based on who sent them. You can even set it to automatically do the same for future emails.
"Quick views" let you filter all your emails to easily find ones with attachments, flagged messages, or shipping updates.
Calendar: Your Schedule Keeper
Outlook's Calendar helps you manage your time. It looks similar to calendar apps on your computer. You can add events, move them around easily, and view your schedule by day, week, or month. It also has a to-do list to help you remember tasks.
Your calendar events are saved online, so you can see them from any device. You can create multiple calendars and share them with friends or family, choosing who can see or edit them.
People: Your Contacts
People is where you manage your contacts. It shows you their profiles and information. It also connects with social media sites like Facebook and Twitter, so your contacts stay updated automatically. People helps you remove duplicate contact entries and control what parts of your contact details others can see.
To Do: Your Task List
To Do is a part of Outlook.com that helps you keep track of your tasks. It's a simple way to list what you need to get done.
Accessing Outlook.com with Other Programs
You can connect Outlook.com to other email programs on your computer or phone. This includes programs like Microsoft Outlook and Windows Live Mail. Outlook.com supports common ways to connect, like POP3 and IMAP, which let you get your mail. It also supports Exchange ActiveSync (EAS), which lets you sync your emails, contacts, and calendar on mobile devices.
In 2019, Microsoft added a "Play My Emails" feature to the Outlook app, which can read your emails aloud.
Who Outlook Competes With
Outlook.com is one of many free email services available. Its main competitors include Gmail, Yahoo! Mail, Proton Mail, Tutanota, and GMX Mail.
See also
- Comparison of webmail providers
Images for kids
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A 2001 Hotmail inbox layout embedded in Microsoft Outlook
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The old MSN Hotmail inbox from 2007
