Yes. Hotmail still works in 2026. Sign in at outlook.live.com with the Microsoft account that owns the address. Keep @hotmail.com. The brand name on the box is Outlook. That is the whole story, and it is why the search query never died.
Microsoft stopped calling the product Hotmail in 2013. People did not stop typing it. Banks, recoveries, and family still send to @hotmail.com. If a page told you Hotmail shut down, they confused the logo with the mailbox.
Hotmail did not die. The name did.
Is Hotmail shutting down?
No. Microsoft did not turn off @hotmail.com. It folded Hotmail into Outlook.com. Mail still arrives. You can still send. There is no Hotmail-only website to "save" before a deadline. Treat rumours of a Hotmail shutdown the same way you treat rumours that AOL Mail vanished after dial-up ended — the access path changed; the address did not. AOL's version of that mix-up is in AOL Mail vs Gmail vs Outlook.
Is Hotmail the same as Outlook?
Hotmail the product is Outlook.com. Outlook the work suite is Microsoft 365 / Exchange, which can use a different address. Consumer @hotmail.com is Outlook.com. Work @company.com on Microsoft 365 is Outlook too, on a different tenancy. Faraday supports both as Outlook sign-in. Details of Gmail vs that stack: Hotmail vs Gmail vs Outlook.
How do I log in to Hotmail now?
1. Go to outlook.live.com (hotmail.com redirects here).
2. Sign in with the full @hotmail.com address or the Microsoft account email attached to it.
3. If the password fails, use Microsoft account recovery — do not keep retrying a saved Hotmail-era password from 2011.
4. On phones, use the Outlook app or add the account as Outlook / Microsoft, not as a fictional "Hotmail IMAP host."
Desktop apps that still ask for IMAP should use Microsoft's current Outlook IMAP settings, the full @hotmail.com address as the username, and an app password if two-step verification is on.
Can I still get a new Hotmail address?
You can still create Microsoft consumer addresses, including some @hotmail.com / @outlook.com aliases depending on what Microsoft is issuing that week. Do not plan a professional identity around a newly minted @hotmail.com. For anything public-facing, use Gmail, Outlook.com, or a custom domain. Startup setup: domain and Google Workspace.
Is it unprofessional to use Hotmail?
For jobs, customers, and investors in 2026, @hotmail.com reads as unfinished — same class as @aol.com. Keep it for old recoveries if you must. Send professional mail from Gmail, Outlook, or your domain. The mailbox behind Hotmail can still be the one Faraday organises — humans in one place, bills with amounts, bookings with times — while the From: line is a separate decision.
Does Faraday work with Hotmail?
Yes. Faraday signs in with Outlook. Hotmail is Outlook.com. Use the Microsoft account for that @hotmail.com address — no Yahoo-style export first.
If Hotmail still works and you searched anyway, the product did not die. The inbox did not get smarter. Faraday is the upgrade for that gap: it classifies the mail you already have so humans, bills, bookings, and newsletters are not one 15-year Focused Inbox you triage by hand. Glance shows what needs you today. Follow-ups and compose assist run without a chat box. One-week trial. Keep the address.
If you would rather leave Microsoft, move to Gmail and connect Faraday there instead — Hotmail alternatives. Either path, Faraday is the client. Hotmail or Gmail is only the mailbox.
Where did Hotmail go?
Into Outlook.com in 2013. Same account, new chrome.
Why do people still search Hotmail?
Because the address never changed. Search bars follow the address, not the rebrand.
Is Hotmail free?
Yes, ad-supported Outlook.com. Microsoft 365 is optional.
Is Hotmail safe?
Safe enough for casual mail with a strong password and two-step verification. It is a Microsoft consumer mailbox, not a privacy suite. For finance or founder mail, Gmail, Outlook with Faraday, or Proton is the more defensible stack.
Hotmail vs Outlook vs Gmail — which should I use?
Hotmail and Outlook.com are one choice. Versus Gmail, pick the ecosystem you already pay for. Then put Faraday on it so the client is not another list you have to sort.
