Outlook.com Login
How to Log In to Outlook.com
Sign in to Outlook, Hotmail or Live — including how to get past a passkey prompt when you do not have one, and what to do when the password option disappears.
6 min read
Outlook.com
Microsoft's consumer email service, covering Outlook.com, Hotmail and Live addresses
Open Outlook.com login ↗
8 guides available
Independent guide — not affiliated with or endorsed by Outlook.com.
Outlook.com is Microsoft's free consumer email service and the current home of addresses that were once Hotmail, Live or MSN. All of them sign in through the same Microsoft account and use the same server settings. Microsoft has been steadily retiring basic authentication in favour of OAuth, so older mail clients may be refused even with correct credentials.
The full set
All Outlook.com guides
Outlook.com Sign Up
How to Create a Outlook.com Account
Create a free Outlook.com address, and set up aliases so one account can hold several email addresses sharing a single inbox — plus the deletion trap to avoid.
6 min read
Outlook.com Password Reset
How to Reset Your Outlook.com Password
Reset a forgotten Outlook, Hotmail or Live password — the standard route, the Sign-in Helper, the recovery form, and the one situation Microsoft says it cannot fix.
6 min read
Outlook.com IMAP
Outlook.com IMAP Settings
Outlook.com's incoming server, port and encryption for any mail client — why the hostname looks wrong but isn't, and what happens to Focused Inbox.
5 min read
Outlook.com SMTP
Outlook.com SMTP Settings
The outgoing mail server settings for Outlook.com, Hotmail and Live — and why your password may be refused no matter how carefully you type it.
4 min read
Outlook.com Security
Outlook.com Security: 2FA and App Passwords
Turn on two-step verification for your Microsoft account, understand why your mail client stopped working, and why the app password screen may no longer help.
6 min read
Outlook.com Troubleshooting
Outlook.com Not Working? Common Fixes
Why Outlook stops receiving mail, refuses to send, or hides messages you know arrived — including the storage rule that bounces mail back to senders permanently.
6 min read
Outlook.com Settings
Outlook.com Server Settings: IMAP, SMTP and POP3
Every Outlook.com, Hotmail and Live server setting in one place — plus why the settings alone may not connect you, and how business accounts differ.
5 min read
Enquiries
Outlook.com questions
Are Hotmail and Outlook.com the same service?
Yes. Hotmail was rebranded to Outlook.com, and existing @hotmail.com addresses continue to work unchanged. Both use the same sign-in and the same server settings.
What are the Outlook.com IMAP settings?
Use outlook.office365.com on port 993 with SSL/TLS for incoming mail, and smtp-mail.outlook.com on port 587 with STARTTLS for outgoing.
Why is my mail client rejected even with the right password?
Microsoft is phasing out basic authentication. Clients that do not support OAuth sign-in may be refused; updating the app or adding the account through its built-in Microsoft option usually resolves it.