Decoding the Differences: Outlook vs. Outlook Live vs. Outlook.com – Which One Do You Need?
Key takeaways :
- Outlook.com is a free email service for personal use, previously known as Hotmail.com and Live.com, and can be accessed with email addresses ending in @outlook.com, @hotmail.com, @msn.com, or @live.com.
- Outlook is an email client that requires an external email provider like Gmail or Yahoo, while Outlook Live is an email service provided by Microsoft that offers users an @outlook.com email address and access to other Microsoft services like OneDrive and Skype.
- Outlook is a full-featured email and calendar app optimized for PCs and laptops, offering advanced features and capabilities for heavy email and calendar users, such as scheduling, task management, rich formatting, and mailbox rules.
- Outlook, Outlook Live, and Outlook.com are three distinct entities related to email, each serving different purposes and catering to different user needs.
- While all three have the word “Outlook” in their names and are related to email, they do not directly relate to each other and offer different functionalities and services.
- Users should choose between Outlook, Outlook Live, and Outlook.com based on their specific requirements, whether it’s a personal email service, an email client with advanced features, or an integrated Microsoft email service with additional features like OneDrive and Skype access.
Difference Between Hotmail.com, Msn.com, Live.com & Outlook.com
Microsoft continues to confuse us with product names. I’ll clarify the difference between Outlook, Outlook, and Outlook.com, and help you decide which you want.
Question: I use Outlook.com. Does that mean I don’t need Outlook? Are they just two names for the same thing? If not, how do they relate to each other? The short answer is: Outlook and Outlook.com are two three different things. They don’t really relate to each other. They have only three things in common: they’re all related to email, they all have the word “Outlook” in their names, and their icons are similar if not identical.
Outlook.com
Outlook.com is a free email service for your personal email. Anyone can go to https://outlook.com and sign up for a free email account. Previously known as Hotmail.com and Live.com, you can use Outlook.com if your email address ends in @outlook.com, @hotmail.com, @msn.com, or @live.com.
Difference Between Outlook and Outlook Live
When it comes to email, there is a clear distinction between Outlook and Outlook Live. Outlook is an email client, meaning it requires users to have an external email provider, such as Gmail or Yahoo, in order to use it. On the other hand, Outlook Live is an email service provided by Microsoft which does not require an external email account. Instead, Outlook Live provides users with an @outlook.com email address and access to other Microsoft services such as OneDrive and Skype. When it comes to features, Outlook and Outlook Live offer many of the same features, such as calendar, task, and contact management.
Outlook is our most full-featured email and calendar app, optimized for PCs and laptops. If you’re a heavy email and calendar user, and you want all the advanced features and capabilities of email, such as scheduling and task management, rich formatting, or mailbox rules, Outlook is the best choice for you. You can use Outlook with your Microsoft 365 account for business or with other accounts, such as Outlook.com.
- Go to the Outlook sign-in page.
- Enter your email address that ends in @hotmail.com.
- Click “Next”.
- Enter your account password.
- Click “Sign in”.
If you want to change your email address from Hotmail.com to Outlook.com, you can do so in your email’s settings after you sign in. Outlook has some of the same convenient features as Hotmail while incorporating more apps and tools that you can use for your personal and work duties.
In 2012, Microsoft announced that as part of retiring the Windows Live branding, Hotmail would be transitioned over to a new service called Outlook.com. This new service would replace Hotmail and introduce a new interface and improved features. The rebrand from Hotmail to Outlook.com took place in 2013. Microsoft did keep @hotmail.com email addresses active, but new users could only sign up for @outlook.com addresses moving forward.
Outlook.com vs Hotmail in 2023
In 2023, Outlook.com and Hotmail essentially provide the same Microsoft web-based email service. The differences are:
Then Microsoft decided to de-emphasize “MSN”, and replaced it with the “Windows Live” brand. Hotmail, (known as “MSN Hotmail”) was renamed “Windows Live Hotmail”. At the same time, Microsoft allowed people to create email addresses not only on hotmail.com, but live.com, msn.com, and a few other Microsoft-owned domains as well. While the email service remained “Hotmail” in name, the domains that appeared in your browser’s address bar went through even more changes. Hotmail.com takes you to URLs based on msn.com, live.com, and others (and for a while passport.com — Microsoft’s original attempt to use your Microsoft email address as “one account for everything”).
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Microsoft Outlook Live
Microsoft Outlook Live is an online service that allows users to access their Outlook email, calendar, contacts, and tasks from any compatible web browser.
