While Microsoft officially discontinued Windows Live Hotmail in 2013, the company allowed users to keep their @hotmail.com email address. If you are one of the Hotmail users looking to switch or want to back up your messages for privacy reasons, use the Mail app on Windows, Outlook desktop app, or Outlook web version on atop Chromebookto complete the job.
Hotmail was one of the popular email clients in the pre-smartphone era. Microsoft eventually replaced it with Outlook branding on all the platforms. Although email providers go to great lengths to safeguard your messages, a potential data breach can compromise your personal information. If you have several confidential emails on Hotmail, export them to your PC or hard drive.
Reasons to export your Hotmail emails
Here are some of the reasons to save your emails from Hotmail to a computer or an external hard drive.
How to export your Hotmail emails on the web
You can use theOutlook.comweb client to save your Hotmail emails on the computer. Go through the steps below.
Based on your Hotmail inbox size, the export process may take up to four days to complete. Once your copy is ready, you’ll receive an email with a link to download the messages from your mailbox.
Export your Hotmail emails using Outlook desktop
If you added your Hotmail account to the Outlook desktop app, you can use it to export your emails. Let’s check it in action.
Make sure to remember the password, as you need to use it during the file import process. You can go with one of thetop password managersto save your private information securely.
Back up your Hotmail emails using the Mail app on Windows
Microsoft also offers a touch-friendly Mail app on Windows. You can use it to save individual Hotmail messages on your PC. The app saves the emails in .eml format. You can read such emails using one of the installed email clients on your PC or Mac.
Microsoft has announced it will retire the Mail app on Windows. The software giant aims to replace it with a new web-based Outlook client. Act quickly if you want to back up your Hotmail using Mail. Let’s first add Hotmail to Mail and export your messages quickly.
You can’t select several emails and export them at once using the Mail app. It’s a time-consuming process, especially when you have hundreds of email messages to export from your Hotmail inbox.
Use third-party apps to back up Hotmail emails
If you don’t want to use the Microsoft Outlook web or desktop apps to export Hotmail messages, use a third-party solution. The web is packed with apps likeSysTools Hotmail Backup toolto complete the export process quickly. These apps offer several features, like exporting emails in different formats, support for other email providers, email filtering, automatic backup, and more.
Before you purchase one of the software solutions, make sure to get one with a money-back guarantee. That way, you’re able to claim a refund if things don’t work as expected.
Keep your important Hotmail emails safe
Apart from Hotmail, Yahoo is another email provider that’s shrinking in popularity these days. If you have a Yahoo inbox, check our dedicated guide toexport your old Yahoo emails to a different account.
