Adding SMTP and POP3 to a Hotmail Account

It appears that Microsoft may be learning from the success of a little company known as Google. Now you can finally migrate all your Hotmail messages into a much superior Gmail account with Microsoft’s addition of POP3 and SMTP. Some countries (United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, France, Japan, Spain, Germany, Italy, and the Netherlands) already have this feature, but it will not be worldwide until the end of 2009. However, with a little trickery it can be accessed by everyone now.

To setup POP3 and SMTP with your Hotmail aka Windows Live Mail you need to know some server settings.





Incoming Server Settings:
POP3 Server: pop3.live.com
POP Port: 995
POP SSL Encryption: Yes (On or Required)

Outgoing Server Settings:
SMTP Server: smtp.live.com
SMTP Port: 25
Authentication: Yes (On – Use POP username and password or Hotmail credentials)
TLS or SSL Secure Encrypted Connection: Yes (On or Required)

User Name: yourname@hotmail.com
Password: your hotmail\live id password

Now if you are not in one of the special countries mentioned, you will need to do the following to change your Windows Live ID Registered Information.:

1. Login to Hotmail.
2. Mouse over Options(top right below your name), and then click on More Options.
3. Click on View and edit your personal information link under “Manger your account” section.
4. Click on Registered Information link
5. For both Home Location and Work Location, change the following details to specified values:
   Constituent Country: Canada
   City: Hamilton
   Province: Ontario
   Postal Code: L8S1A1
   Time zone: Eastern Time, Toronto, Ontario – EST

6. Click on Save when complete.
7. Go back to Hotmail, and ensure that the display language of Hotmail is set to English.
8. Configure your email client or webmail service (Gmail to Hotmail) to access your Hotmail Inbox via POP3 protocol (settings are above)
9. You  now should be able to access, login, download or send via Hotmail servers without error
10. Once Hotmail’s POP3 and SMTP support is enabled, you can revert back to your original language, home and work location in Hotmail.