Is Hotmail Still Around in 2026? The Real Answer
Written by Justin Cener, Technical Executive and Staff Writer at Corbett Software. Justin covers email data formats and migration workflows.
Wondering if your old Hotmail address still works, or if Hotmail has shut down for good? Here is the straight answer, followed by what actually happened and how to keep your account and emails safe.
Summary: Yes, Hotmail is still around, but only through Outlook.com. Microsoft retired the Hotmail brand in 2013 and moved every account to Outlook.com. Your @hotmail.com address still works and all your old mail is still there. You sign in at Outlook.com instead of a Hotmail site, and you cannot create a new @hotmail.com address through the normal signup.
Is Hotmail Still Around? The Short Answer
Yes, but not as Hotmail. The service you knew as Hotmail still runs, it just goes by a different name now. In 2013, Microsoft retired the Hotmail brand and folded every account into Outlook.com. Nothing was deleted in the move. Your @hotmail.com address still sends and receives mail exactly as before, and your old emails, contacts and folders are all still there.
What changed is the front door. There is no Hotmail website to log in to any more, typing hotmail.com just redirects you to Outlook.com, and you sign in there with the same address and password you always used. The one thing you can no longer do is create a brand new @hotmail.com address through the normal signup. So the honest answer is that Hotmail lives on inside Outlook.com, not as a service of its own.
What Happened to Hotmail: The Timeline
Hotmail did not disappear, it evolved through several names over nearly twenty years. Here is the path from 1996 to today.
The Hotmail Timeline
From the first free webmail to Outlook.com.
Hotmail launches as one of the first free webmail services. The name comes from HTML.
Microsoft buys Hotmail and rebrands it as MSN Hotmail.
Becomes Windows Live Hotmail, with a new interface and more storage.
Microsoft retires the Hotmail brand and moves all accounts to Outlook.com.
Your @hotmail.com address still works, signed in through Outlook.com.
Does Your Hotmail Address Still Work?
Yes. An @hotmail.com address created before 2013 still sends and receives mail normally. Anyone emailing your address reaches you just as before, and the messages land in your inbox at Outlook.com. The same is true for related Microsoft addresses like @live.com and @msn.com, which all sign in through the same place.
Your data came across in full during the 2013 move. Old emails, the folder structure, your contacts and your calendar were all preserved, so nothing was lost. The only real difference is the interface you see when you log in, which is the modern Outlook.com layout rather than the old Hotmail design.
How to Access Your Old Hotmail Account
Signing in is the same process you always used, Microsoft simply sends you to Outlook.com now.
- Open Outlook.com in your web browser, or open the Microsoft Outlook app on your phone.
- Enter your full @hotmail.com address and click Next.
- Enter your password and sign in. Complete any two step verification if you have it switched on.
- Your old inbox, contacts and folders load in the Outlook.com interface.
If you have forgotten the password, use the Forgot password link on the sign in page and follow Microsoft’s recovery steps.
Keep the Account From Being Deactivated
This is the part most people miss. A Hotmail address stays active only while you keep using it. Microsoft can deactivate an account that sits unused for a long stretch, so if you want to hold on to an old address, sign in to it from time to time.
- Sign in to the account at least once every couple of years using any Microsoft service, such as Outlook.com, the Outlook app or OneDrive.
- Add a recovery phone number or backup email so you can get back in if you are ever locked out.
- Turn on two step verification at the Microsoft account security page to protect an old, rarely used address.
Signing in once in a while is enough. You do not have to send anything, just log in so the account counts as active.
Hotmail vs Outlook.com: What Changed
The move to Outlook.com was an upgrade rather than a loss. Here is how the old service compares with what you use now.
| Hotmail (until 2013) | Outlook.com (today) | |
|---|---|---|
| Interface | Simple, dated layout | Modern layout with categories and filters |
| Storage | Started at 2 MB, later a few GB | 15 GB free, more with Microsoft 365 |
| Security | Basic spam filter | Stronger spam and phishing filters, two step verification |
| Integration | Standalone webmail | Works with OneDrive, Microsoft 365 and Teams |
Keeping a Safe Copy of Your Old Emails
There is one good reason to act rather than just leave things as they are. If an old account ever lapses from inactivity, or you decide to move away from it, the years of mail inside are only as safe as that one login. Keeping a local copy puts those emails on your own computer, where no inactivity rule or forgotten password can reach them. The Corbett Hotmail Backup Tool signs in to your account and saves the mailbox to your PC, with attachments and folder structure kept, in formats like PST, MBOX, EML or PDF. It previews the mail first, filters by date or sender so you save only what you need, and a free demo edition lets you try it. It runs on all editions of Windows.
People Also Ask
Q1: Is Hotmail still around in 2026?
A1: Yes, but only through Outlook.com. Microsoft retired the Hotmail brand in 2013 and moved all accounts to Outlook.com. Your @hotmail.com address still works, you just sign in at Outlook.com.
Q2: Can I still use my old @hotmail.com email address?
A2: Yes. Old @hotmail.com addresses still send and receive mail normally. Sign in at Outlook.com with the same address and password, and your old inbox, contacts and folders are all there.
Q3: Can I create a new Hotmail account?
A3: Not through the normal signup. New Microsoft accounts are offered as @outlook.com addresses. Existing @hotmail.com accounts stay fully active, but the standard signup no longer hands out new Hotmail addresses.
Q4: Will my Hotmail account be deleted if I do not use it?
A4: It can be. Microsoft may deactivate an account left unused for a long period. To keep an old address, sign in with any Microsoft service at least once every couple of years.
Q5: How do I keep a copy of my old Hotmail emails?
A5: Sign in at Outlook.com to reach them, then save a local copy with a backup tool that exports the mailbox to your PC as PST, MBOX, EML or PDF, so the emails are safe even if the account lapses.
Conclusion
Hotmail is still around, just under the Outlook.com name it took in 2013. Your old @hotmail.com address still works, your mail is all still there, and you reach it by signing in at Outlook.com. The one thing worth doing is keeping the account active with an occasional sign in, and if those old emails matter, saving a local copy so they are safe no matter what happens to the account. Is your old Hotmail address one you want to keep, or one you are ready to move on from?
