Hotmail Not Working? Here’s Why & The Fix!

Hotmail was a popular email service used by hundreds of millions of people. With about 306 billion emails being sent every day, it's hard to imagine a world where email doesn't exist! However, if your Hotmail email isn't working, that world may not be so hard to imagine.

If your Hotmail email isn't working, it can be difficult to communicate with your friends, family, and coworkers. Have no fear! This guide will help you get your email working again, and you'll learn about why it's not Hotmail that isn't working, but something else instead.

Why Hotmail Isn't The Problem

Even though your emails aren't sending, Hotmail isn't to blame. In fact, Hotmail no longer exists. Even though you might have an @hotmail.com email address, the service called Hotmail was shut down in 2013.

Microsoft migrated all Hotmail users to Outlook.com that summer but allowed original Hotmail users to keep their email addresses. So, your account is hosted through Outlook, but does that mean Outlook is the reason why your email isn't working?

Hotmail Troubleshooting: Device, Software, and Security

There are three reasons why your email may not be working:

• Something is wrong with your computer, iPhone, Android device, or tablet.
• The app or software that you are using to send the email is not working correctly.
• There may be something wrong with your Outlook account.

Problems With Your Device

There might be something wrong with the hardware that you are using. Some quick things that you can do are to make sure that your computer or phone is connected to the Internet.

Software Issues

It's possible that the app that you are using to view your emails, like Gmail, Mail for iOS, Mail for Windows, Outlook, etc, may not be working correctly. One of the easiest fixes for this problem is to remove your email account from the app and then add it again. Make sure you know your login information, your username and password, before you attempt this.

You might also be having trouble with older software that is no longer fully supported. For example, support for Windows Live Mail ended on January 10th, 2017 and is no longer available for download. You may want to consider using your Hotmail account on supported software like Outlook on the web, or the Outlook app for Windows and Mac.

Your Outlook Account

It's possible that there may be something wrong with your Outlook account. If your password was changed recently, it might require you to sign into your email apps again. This is definitely something to be concerned about if you weren't the one to change your password!

The good news is, it usually is pretty easy to tell when there is an issue with your password. Most email apps will give you a notification that tells you that you need to sign in again. However, if you didn't request the change to your password, then it's possible that someone else has access to your account, which could be very bad.

Before you try any of the fixes below, here is my suggestion: try to sign into Outlook.com first to see if there is a problem with your account. If you are able to sign in with your username and password, then you've narrowed down the problem to either your device or the software on the computer.

Make sure never to tell anyone your username and password. However, even if you don't tell people, it's possible that your password can be guessed if it isn't very strong. Make sure you create a strong password. The longer your password is, the more secure it will be.

Windows 10 and MacOS: Let's Fix Hotmail!

If your email isn't working on Windows 10 or MacOS, I'm here to help. The following sections will talk about what to do when you're having trouble with Hotmail on some of the most popular email platforms, such as Gmail, Outlook on the web, the Outlook desktop app, Mail for Windows 10, and the Mail app for MacOS.

If you are having trouble with your email on an Android or iPhone, scroll down through the page to find where I talk about fixing issues with those!

Hotmail Not Working On Outlook Web

If Hotmail isn’t working on Outlook on the web, it is most likely a password issue.

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1. Navigate to outlook.live.com
2. Sign in with your Hotmail email address and password.
3. If you forgot your password, you’ll need to head to Microsoft’s recovery page. 
4. If you aren’t able to complete any of these steps or the problem persists, check your Internet connection.

Applies to: Windows 10, MacOS, Outlook Web

Hotmail Not Working In Outlook App For Windows 10 & MacOS

If Hotmail is not working with the Outlook app for Windows 10 or MacOS, you may need to remove the account and add it again to fix errors.

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1. Open the Outlook app.
2. Remove your Hotmail account by clicking File -> Account settings -> Manage profiles -> Email accounts
3. Select your Hotmail account in the list and click Remove. 
4. Once the profile is finished being removed, go back to the Outlook app and click File. 
5. Click Add account and add your Hotmail email address again. You will need the password associated with the account to do this.

Applies to: Windows 10, MacOS, Microsoft Outlook app

Hotmail Not Working In Gmail

If you use Gmail to send emails from your Hotmail account and it’s not working, you may need to remove the account and try to set it up again in Gmail.

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1. Navigate to https://mail.google.com
2. Click Settings -> See all settings -> Accounts and import
3. Find your Hotmail account in the Send mail as list and click Delete. 
4. Click Add another email address and enter in your Hotmail account information again.

Applies to: Windows 10, MacOS, Gmail

Hotmail Not Working In Mail For Windows 10

If your Hotmail account is not working in the Mail app for Windows 10, you probably need to remove your Hotmail account and add it again:

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1. Open Mail.
2. Click or tap on the gear icon in the lower left to open the Settings pane.
3. Find and click Manage accounts. 
4. Click on your Hotmail account.
5. In the window that appears, click or tap Remove account from this device.
6. Once you have removed the account, add it again by going back to Manage Accounts.
7. Click Add Account and type your Hotmail account username and password.

iPhone and Android: Fixing Hotmail

Fixing Hotmail issues with these apps is more or less the same as fixing them on Windows 10 and MacOS. However, it can look a bit different thanks to the screen size difference. I'll go over fixes from popular apps like Mail for iPhone, Outlook, and Gmail.

Hotmail Not Working in Outlook for iOS & Android

If Hotmail is not working in the mobile Outlook app, you will need to remove the account and add it again.

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1. Open Outlook on your Android or iPhone.
2. Tap the account icon in the upper left-hand corner to open the side-pane.
3. Tap the Gear at the bottom of the pane on the lower left to open Outlook settings.
4. Tap on your Hotmail account in the list of accounts.
5. Scroll down and tap Delete Account. 
6. When the account has finished being removed, go back to the main screen and tap the account icon again. Then, tap on the envelope with the plus sign next to it on the left.
7. A popup will appear at the bottom of your screen. Tap Add an account to start adding your Hotmail account again.

Applies to: iPhone 8, iPhone SE, iPhone X, iPhone 11, iPhone 12, iOS, Android, Samsung Galaxy, Samsung Galaxy Note, Samsung Galaxy Z Fold, Surface Duo, LG ThinQ, LG Velvet, Google Pixel

Hotmail Not Working In Gmail for Android

If your Hotmail account is not working in the Gmail app:

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1. Open the Gmail app.
2. Tap on your profile picture in the upper right-hand corner of the screen.
3. Tap Manage accounts on this device. 
4. Tap on your Hotmail account.
5. Tap Remove account. 
6. Once the account is removed, tap on your profile picture in Gmail again and tap Add another account. 
7. Add your Hotmail account again.

Applies to: Gmail, Android, Samsung Galaxy, Samsung Galaxy Note, Samsung Galaxy Z Fold, Surface Duo, LG ThinQ, LG Velvet, Google Pixel

Hotmail: Fixed!

Now that you have Hotmail working again, you can get back to managing your email like a pro! If you didn't see instructions for your preferred email app in this list, feel free to leave a comment if you know how to get it fixed for your email software of choice.

Please share this article with someone who might need help getting their Hotmail email to work again. Thank you for reading!