Migrating Hotmail to Gmail is optional — not mandatory. Hotmail already is Outlook.com. If you only want a smarter inbox, sign in to Faraday with Outlook and keep @hotmail.com. Leave Microsoft for Gmail when Android, Docs, Drive, or a cleaner professional From: line are the real goals.
This guide covers the leave-Microsoft path: import mail and contacts, keep the old address alive during overlap, then decide whether Faraday sits on Gmail.
Do not migrate off a rename. Migrate off a stack you no longer want.
Before you move: stay vs leave
Stay on Outlook / Hotmail + Faraday if the address must not change and Microsoft is fine. Same-day. No import weekend.
Move to Gmail if you want Google's search, spam, and Android defaults — or if @hotmail.com is a professional liability.
Comparison: Hotmail vs Gmail vs Outlook. Destination list: Hotmail alternatives.
What you will need
• A Gmail or Google Workspace account
• The Microsoft password (or app password) for the @hotmail.com / @outlook.com account
• 90 days of patience while banks and recoveries update
• Willingness to keep Hotmail fetching or forwarding until the important senders move
Step 1: create or clear space in Gmail
Gmail free is 15 GB shared with Drive and Photos. If that pool is already tight, free space or start Google One before you import a decade of Hotmail attachments.
Step 2: import Hotmail / Outlook.com into Gmail
In Gmail on the web: Settings → See all settings → Accounts and Import → Check mail from other accounts / Import mail and contacts (wording varies). Choose Outlook.com / Hotmail when offered, or IMAP with Microsoft's host if Gmail asks for servers. Prefer Microsoft's guided import when available — it handles modern auth better than a hand-typed IMAP guess from 2012.
Leave a copy on the server. Do not delete Hotmail until you have verified threads and contacts landed.
Step 3: contacts and calendar
Export contacts from outlook.live.com (people / contacts → export) and import CSV into Google Contacts. Calendar is separate — export ICS from Outlook.com calendar if you need those events in Google Calendar.
Step 4: keep @hotmail.com alive during overlap
Turn on forwarding from Outlook.com to Gmail if your account offers it, or keep POP/IMAP fetch from Gmail so new Hotmail mail still arrives. Update banks, Apple ID recoveries, government portals, and work tools one by one. Ninety days of overlap is normal.
You can keep @hotmail.com forever as a recovery alias even after Gmail becomes the desk you sit at.
Step 5: send as the right address
In Gmail, add a send-as address only if you still need to send from @hotmail.com through Google — Microsoft may require verification. For a clean break, send only from Gmail and let Hotmail be receive-only until traffic dies down.
Common failures
Import stuck: large mailboxes take hours or days. Check Gmail's import status; do not start three overlapping imports.
Auth errors: enable two-step on Microsoft, then use an app password if Gmail's IMAP path demands it.
Missing folders: Outlook categories / folders do not always map to Gmail labels 1:1. Search by sender after import.
Thinking Faraday needs the migration: it does not. Faraday talks to Outlook today. Migration is for leaving Microsoft — not for unlocking Faraday.
After Gmail: do not import into another pile
Gmail will happily swallow 15 years of Hotmail into Primary / Promotions. That is a successful migration and a failed upgrade.
Faraday connects to that Gmail account and classifies humans, bills, bookings, and newsletters automatically. Glance shows what needs you. One-week trial, then $12/month billed annually ($14 monthly). If you stayed on Outlook instead, Faraday connects there with the same pitch — Hotmail still works, and Faraday is the client.
Best for: People who are done with Microsoft's consumer stack and do not want the archive to become a second chronological list under Google's logo.
The migration tax is only worth paying if the new inbox is smarter — not just newer.
Can I move Hotmail to Gmail without losing emails?
Yes. Use Gmail's import / check-mail-from-other-accounts, leave a copy on Hotmail, and verify before you stop checking Outlook.com.
Do I have to give up my @hotmail.com address?
No. Keep it for recoveries and forwarding. Change the inbox you open daily.
Is it easier to put Faraday on Hotmail instead?
Yes, if you are staying with Microsoft. Faraday's Outlook sign-in is the Hotmail path — no provider hop. Migrate only when you want Gmail itself.
How long does a Hotmail to Gmail import take?
From minutes (small mailbox) to more than a day (large archives with attachments). Leave both accounts alone until Gmail says the import finished.
What about Outlook.com storage or delivery problems first?
Fix or free space before you migrate a broken mailbox: Outlook.com storage full, Hotmail / Outlook not receiving emails.
