How to set up Hotmail, MSN, or Outlook Accounts in Outlook Express, Windows Mail and other POP3 email programs

Whether Microsoft intended to our not, when they started Outlook.com to compete with Gmail, they opened up POP3 access for all users of free Hotmail, Live.com and MSN accounts too. If you have an email address that ends with @hotmail.com, @live.com, @msn.com or @outlook.com, you can set up those accounts in Windows Mail, Outlook Express and many other popular email clients.

For this tip we’re using Windows Mail running on a Windows 7 laptop (if you have Windows 7 or Windows 8, you can get Windows Mail back with our Cloudeight Direct Windows Mail setup service ).

I’m going to set up a Hotmail account in Windows Mail, but the secret to getting it to work is the same for any email program. You can use this same procedure to set-up any @msn.com, @hotmail.com, @live.com, or @outlook.com in any Pop3 email program. Windows Live Mail and some other programs support https:// mail servers, and if so they set up these kinds of accounts differently.

If you’re using Outlook Express the dialogs will look slightly different but the content of each is nearly the same.

Step #1:

Above: Type the name you want people to see when they receive email from you, in this dialog. You can’t go wrong here — anything goes!

Step #2

Above: This step is critical. If you’re using an @hotmail, @msn.com or @outlook.com address- in this dialog you must change it to @live.com. If you don’t, Windows Mail will tell you it does not support https:// mail servers. For example, if your address is judyfinkle23@hotmail.com, type it as judyfinkle23@live.com in this dialog.

Step #3

Above:  Whether you’re using an @hotmail, @msn, @live.com or @outlook.com address, the server settings are always the same.

Incoming mail server is pop3.live.com

Outgoing mail server is smtp.live.com

Step #4

Above type in your email address — whether it be an @hotmail, an @msn.com, an @live.com or an @outlook.com address. Then type in your password – make sure it is correct. The most common error we’ve seen with setting up email accounts is people who can’t remember their email passwords.

Step #5

Above: Do not forget the step above — check “Do not download my e-mail at this time” – or you’ll get an error.

Step #6

Above. Click Tools, Accounts and select the account you just created, and click “Properties”

Step #7

Above: Click on the Advanced tab,  check both “This server requires a secure connection (SSL)” options. Then click “Apply” and “OK”. In the event you have problems sending mail, try changing the SMTP port number to 587 or 465. For most of you, it should work with the defaults as shown above.

Also, check “Leave a copy of messages on server — and check “Remove from server when deleted from ‘Deleted Items’ .

That’s it. Happy Hotmailing or whatever!