How to Create a New Outlook.com Email Account

You can create an Outlook or a Hotmail email address with this process

By
Heinz Tschabitscher
Heinz Tschabitscher
Heinz Tschabitscher
Writer
  • University of Vienna
A former freelance contributor who has reviewed hundreds of email programs and services since 1997.
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Updated on May 6, 2024
Reviewed by
Jon Fisher
Jon Fisher headshot
Reviewed by Jon Fisher
  • Wichita Technical Institute
Jonathan Fisher is a CompTIA certified technologist with more than 6 years' experience writing for publications like TechNorms and Help Desk Geek.
lifewire's editorial guidelines

What to Know

  • Open Outlook.com and select Create free account. Follow the instructions to choose your email address and password.
  • You can make a Hotmail.com account or an Outlook.com. The signup process is the same for both.
  • To use your new Outlook.com email address, log in online or add your account to a desktop or mobile email client.

This article explains how to create a Microsoft Outlook email address. These directions are the same whether you want an Outlook.com or a Hotmail.com address.

How to Create a New Outlook.com Email Account

It's incredibly easy to make an account with Microsoft's free email service. Just answer a few questions and you'll be sending and receiving mail in minutes. Here's how it works through their website:

  1. Open Microsoft Outlook online and select Create free account.

    The Create Free Account button on Microsoft Outlook's website

  2. Type the username you want. This is the part that precedes the @ sign.

    Outlook.com email creation screen in Chrome browser showing the username creation field

  3. Select the drop-down menu and choose outlook.com or hotmail.com, then press Next.

    Create account options in Chrome web page for Outlook.com email account showing the choice between outlook and hotmail

  4. Enter a password, then select Next.

    Create a strong password that is easy for you to recall and difficult for anyone else to guess. If you make it really complex, you'd be wise to store it in a password manager.

    Password field in Outlook.com account creation process

  5. Enter your first name and last name in the fields provided, then select Next.

    First and last names in Create account screen for Outlook.com email address

  6. Choose your Country/region, enter your Birthdate, then select Next.

    Region and Birthdate fields in email creation process for Outlook.com email address

  7. Solve the CAPTCHA or puzzle, then select Next or Submit.

    CAPTCHA screen from Outlook.com email creation process

  8. You're asked if you want to stay signed in. Press Yes if you want that.

    You can now open your new Outlook.com account on the web or set it up in any other email client.

Outlook.com Features

An Outlook.com email account offers all the features you expect from an email client. It also includes:

  • An option to pin important messages to the top of your inbox.
  • A focused inbox for your most important emails.
  • Swipe gestures to archive and delete messages.
  • The ability to snooze messages to be reminded about them later.
  • Text-formatting features to personalize your outgoing emails.

Outlook also adds travel itineraries and flight plans from emails to your calendar. It attaches files from OneDrive and you can even edit Microsoft 365 files right in your inbox.

Outlook Apps

A Microsoft Outlook email account can be used in any modern email client. The web client at outlook.live.com is where you're defaulted to when you log in from your web browser. But there are other ways to access your mail.

To access your Outlook.com mail from your desktop, install an email client and then log in with the same credentials you used when you signed up. Microsoft Outlook is the name of Microsoft's desktop app, but there are plenty of free email clients that also work.

If you're on the go, get the Outlook app for Android or iOS. Both are free and easy to use.

FAQ
  • How do I unsend an email in Outlook?

    To recall a message in Outlook, go to the Sent Items folder and open the message. Press Recall Message > OK. You can't recall Outlook emails in all circumstances.

  • How do I schedule an email in Microsoft Outlook?

    To schedule an email in Outlook, compose your email, then go to Options > three-dot menu > Delay Delivery to fill out the date and time. If you're using Outlook.com, press the arrow next to the Send button to find the Schedule send option.

  • How do I set up an email signature in Outlook?

    To create a signature in Outlook, go to File > Options > Mail > Signatures. To create a signature on Outlook.com, go to Settings > Mail > Compose and reply. Compose and format your signature in the large text box, choose to add your signature automatically, then select Save.

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