A shot across the bow? Microsoft’s “3 easy steps” to switch from Gmail to Hotmail

Jan 26, 2012 12:29 pm by | 20 comments

ms-hotmail-logoThis week, Google made it even more apparent that it’s either get on the Google+ bandwagon or get out of the way, announcing new privacy policies that make it far easier to share on Google+, but causing some strife among Google users.

In light of that, a post on Inside Windows Live today, including a direct link to the new Google privacy policy, offers up a set of three simple steps to bail out of Gmail before the March 1 privacy “upgrade”:

  1. Create a Hotmail account. If you don’t already have one, you need to create a Hotmail account. The best way to do this is to get a new email address either @hotmail.com or @ live.com. Or, if you already have an email address you want to keep using, you can keep using it and sign up here. You don’t have to use our domain.
  2. Import your old messages from Gmail. You’ll probably want to keep your old email and contacts so we’ve made it simple to bring them in. TrueSwitch is an easy tool which will import your email and contacts and forward any new email to Hotmail for 90 days. Go to the TrueSwitch site and follow the steps there. When you sign back in to Hotmail, you’ll notice that it’s beginning to import your emails (this could take a few hours if you have a lot of emails to bring over).
  3. Connect your Gmail account. This step is optional, but if you want to make sure you receive future messages from Gmail, you can have Hotmail automatically get all new emails that are sent to your old Gmail account. These are the steps to connect your accounts:
  • a. In your inbox, click Options and then More options.
  • b. Click Sending/receiving email from other accounts.
  • c. Click Add an email account.
  • d. Provide your Gmail account details.

In the post, Dharmesh Mehta lists some of the top reasons why users have already made the switch, including Facebook integration, photo sharing with SkyDrive integration, graymail management, and Office compatibility, noting that “Gmail doesn’t work well with Office”.

We’re not sure how serious the backlash is for Google’s hard push into social integration, but we’re kind of glad to see Microsoft jump into the fray.  Do you use Gmail?  Have you thought about switching, and why?

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  • tk

    I’ve thought about switching to Gmail for years, but with Skype integration coming soon, I don’t see a reason to do this now.
    The features in Hotmail are getting much nicer.  The problem I have with it is the branding.  A hotmail.com address makes you look kinda retarded with young folks.
    SkyDrive, Skype, SkyMail.  Wouldn’t it be amazing?

    • http://www.vikitech.com Viki

      I like Gmail and use Hotmail as an alternative email (@live.com, sounds way better than hotmail.com). But SkyMail does sound cool! :)

    • Avatar Roku

      SkyDrive, Skype, SkyMail could all be part of the Microsoft “Sky Network” or Skynet for short.

      • https://plus.google.com/u/0/113659231033434017812 Rodolfo G
      • http://www.microsoftanonymous.com BingMeUp Scotty

        Yes, they need to:

        1 – Update to Metro UI
        2 – Integrate Skype in a similar way to google voice
        3 – Improve calendar
        4 – Rebrand to “SkyMail” or something similarly awesome…

        Once these are done, I will consider my digital life complete! Goodbye Gmail/google, nice knowing you!

        PS- Update Bing to Metro UI and bake it into Win 8! Good times! MS can grab 50% market share for bing (US only) by 2013…. As long as IE10 is good enough, not everyone will see the need to download Chrome as an additional browser…

        Note: Too lazy to do real fact checking, but I believe approx 97% of google’s revenues is from ads and just under 50% of their global revenue is from the US… While Bing has failed to expand strongly outside of their home market, the business reasons behind this are clear… Strengthen their core capabilities while focusing their energy on one market… If they were to achieve this 50% (I’m including Yahoo) this would effectively take google out at the knees… Classic MS!

        Final Note: Everyone talks crap about Ballmer, and his style may be off-putting to some, but he knows what he’s doing and he finally has the Mothership moving in the right direction. I think this time next year people will have to give him some respect

        • Eric Carlson

          I think you missed the whole “SkyNet” reference… You know the computer system that links all the government agencies together in the Terminator franchise? The artificial intelligent one that became self aware, and decided to terminate humanity to save the world?

          • http://www.microsoftanonymous.com BingMeUp Scotty

            Haha, No I got it Eric… I really like how they’re going with Sky-this and Sky-that… SkyNet will be the natural evolution of it all, I’m sure! I’ll be willing to give in to SkyNet as long as they have metro UI! Be one of us ;)

            In practical branding terms though, the sky moniker is a great way for Microsoft to distinguish itself from all the companies talking about cloud-this or that… i.e. “iCloud”. It also ties in nicely with their Azure lineup. I like it

    • Voxxie

      At domains.live.com you can use youre own domain ;)

  • http://netnate.net Matthieu Nate

    I’ve actually switched 8 months ago or so from Gmail to Hotmail.
    I’ve been expecting more changes from to Microsoft to the Hotmail service this past year (I was hoping for a complete overhaul of the live services at the end of 2011 actually, along the DP of Windows 8).
    The service has got a very long way since… a while back. It think Hotmail features are arguably better than Gmail’s (without labs!) but Gmail definitely has a better UI / UX and a smoother experience overall although it is far from perfect.
    Gmail’s reluctance to spot or to be willing to correct issues that have been annoying to me for a few years made me switch to Hotmail (and WL Calendar as well, which was the biggest issue when switching, and is far inferior compared to Google Agenda).
    I am satisfied with the change regarding emails but disappointed by the calendar experience.
    I am now looking for Windows 8 and a brand new live apps suite to come up.

    • http://doctorwhofan98.wordpress.com/ doctorwhofan98

      I am also not happy with the hotmail calendar experience. It really needs search, and a cleaner interface. I personally prefer Hotmail’s interface to Gmails.

  • Anonymous

    With all the improvements in the last year or so Hotmail has become better than gmail, and the skydrive/web apps integration makes the deal even sweater.

    Anyhow I’m still not switching; my main concerns are:
    - the UI (gmail is more “metro” than hotmail! :D )
    - calendar and contacts management. They suck. Really.
    - the branding. No one would take an hotmail.com address seriously. Live.com is better, but a whole new brand would be refreshing.
    - I can keep my gmail address, but I will lose push (the bot is not constantly checking my gmail address, of course). Again, this would be less of an issue if hotmail had a better brand!

  • Matze-d

    Here you get cool  msn.com adresses:

    https://accountservices.passport.net/reg.srf?ns=msn.com.com adresses:

  • Matze-d
  • http://www.facebook.com/people/James-Portelli/683592092 James Portelli

    Sykdrive ROCKS. Now when are we going to get Live Devices integrated into Skydrive, with the ability to edit word/excel documents in Live Devices ?

  • http://www.microsoftanonymous.com BingMeUp Scotty

    Hello, thank you very much for the information! FYI I tried the Trueswitch and it kept telling me ”
    Cannot authenticate the  gmail.com that you have provided.

    Please double check and enter valid e-mail address and password for the
    ***@gmail.com ”
    I definitely have the right password and username, I wonder if google is blocking it already?? Is anyone else having this issue? I am also not familiar with Trueswitch and I worry that I just gave them both of my major email usernames and passwords…

    • mostergaard

      I too have that problem. I am definitely using the right password and have tried several times today.

      • http://www.microsoftanonymous.com BingMeUp Scotty

        Ok scary… I’m going to change all my passwords now just in case. Kip, I presume you are familiar with that site?

        Anyway, hopefully they get it fixed soon and/or find a workaround if google is actively blocking this

        • http://www.LiveSide.net Kip Kniskern – LiveSide.net

          Microsoft has suggested using TrueSwitch for years, we posted about them back in 2007: http://www.liveside.net/2007/08/14/more-information-and-some-speculation-about-hotmail/, and they are apparently used by both Yahoo! and Gmail, as well.  Maybe (hopefully?) with all the negative publicity surrounding Google recently, they’re a bit overwhelmed?

          • http://www.microsoftanonymous.com BingMeUp Scotty

            Thanks, maybe that’s part of it, but I would expect their site to be slower or have another message indicating something like that…

            For me it’s still not working. I wonder if it might have something to do with 2-factor authentication? I have that set up on my gmail… Has anyone actually been able to get it to work in the past few days?

            Also, when they offer @skymail.com  with metroUI and skype integration, I expect people will really be moving in droves to their new services.. A mass exodus from google services….

  • Kylejwx

    Regarding domains.live.com.
    Has anyone actually gotten this to work?
    Whenever I try to sign up I get these errors.

     “The domain is
    available for purchase but not supported by the WLCD service. Please choose
    another domain name if you wish to use the CD service.”

    “bigdogredhouse.net is available for registration but is not
    supported by the Windows Live Custom Domains service, since it contains a word
    that violates Microsoft’s word filters.”

    Any ideas on fixing the errors? Should I buy my domain separately
    and then come back and set it up through Windows Live?  Also, can you use the email features of Hotmail
    in this way similar to a free Google apps account?  I get I have my personal website through Google
    apps for $10 a year and consider that a great deal.  I would love a similar solution from
    Microsoft.  My dad’s Office Live Small
    Business site is expiring and I would love to set him up with a Windows Live
    domain, but if that’s not an option then we may just have to switch to Google
    Apps.

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