How to Access Your Old Hotmail Account

Outlook is now Microsoft’s official email client. Although the company dropped support for Hotmail a long time ago, some users are still accessing their old Hotmail accounts. Oftentimes, this is because other platforms are sending account recovery information to their Hotmail addresses. Without further ado, let’s jump right in and explore how you can access your old Hotmail account.

How Can I Access My Old Hotmail Account?

Recover Your Old Hotmail Account

Microsoft already migrated Hotmail accounts to Outlook.com. To gain access to your old mailbox and contacts, you need to recover your account. You can use Microsoft’s Account Recovery Form to get the job done. The catch is that you can use this method only if you enabled two-step verification. Unfortunately, if you disabled the option, you won’t be able to use the recovery form.

To use this solution, you need an email address you have access to. It doesn’t have to be your personal email account; any email account will do. Go to account.live.com/acsr, and enter the Hotmail address you want to recover. Then type in the email address that Microsoft can use to contact you.

Confirm your contact email address, check the security code and follow the on-screen steps to complete the process. Microsoft should get back to you within 24 hours.

Keep in mind that Microsoft will automatically deactivate your account if you don’t log in to your email account at least once a year. All the emails sent to the respective account should bounce. But you can always reactivate the account if you know the password, and new emails should land in your inbox without any problems.

However, after 5 years of inactivity, Microsoft will automatically delete your Hotmail account. If you get a message that your account doesn’t exist, this means you haven’t logged in in more than 5 years, and the account got deleted. In other words, you can’t recover it.

Create a New Account Using the Old Hotmail Address

Other users suggested that creating a new Outlook account using the old Hotmail address may actually work. Launch your browser, open a new Incognito mode tab and go to https://outlook.live.com/owa. Click on Create free account and follow the on-screen instructions.

Link the Old Hotmail Account to Your New Email Client

Try linking your old Hotmail account to your new email client and check if you can access your mailbox. Ideally, use a non-Microsoft email client to get the job done. Some users said they managed to link their old Hotmail addresses to Outlook. However, this method may not work for all users.

Here are the steps to follow in case you want to use this method. Go to Outlook Settings, click on Sync email and then select Other email accounts. Enter your Hotmail address and password and link your accounts.

For example, if you use Gmail, go to Settings, select Accounts, and Import, and go to Check mail from other accounts. Add your Hotmail account and check the results.

Conclusion

Outlook is the new Hotmail. The only way to access your old Hotmail account is through the Outlook web app. If you can’t log in to your Hotmail account, use Microsoft’s account recovery form to access your account. If the issue persists, link your old Hotmail account to your new email client. Did these solutions help you fix the problem? Share your feedback in the comments below.