How to Make a Hotmail Address

Sign up for a Hotmail account to get access to many Microsoft features.

A Hotmail email address gives you more than just access to email. You can download and use Windows Live Messenger and use it for an Xbox Live account. To sign up for a Hotmail account, you just need to follow the registration steps. Then you will be on your way to customizing your profile and adding and talking to friends and family from around the world.

Instructions

1. Open your computer's Web browser.

2. Go to the Hotmail homepage (hotmail.com).

3. Click the "Sign Up" button, which is toward the bottom of the page. This opens the registration page.

4. Create your Windows Live ID, also known as your Hotmail ID. After you enter an ID, click "Check Availability." If it is not available, MSN will give you suggestions. Ensure that hotmail.com is the email suffix selected.

5. Create a password. Hotmail passwords must be at least six characters long. To enhance the security of your account, make the password random by using numbers, capital letters and lower-case letters.

6. Enter an alternate email address. This is in case you lose your ID or password. If you do not wish to provide an email address, click the "Or choose a security question for password reset" link. In this case, you will need to choose one of the questions provided and create an answer.

7. Enter your personal information on the next seven lines. You need to enter your first and last name, country, state, ZIP code, gender and birth year. All of this is required, but only your name can be viewed by a shared contact. All other information is kept private.

8. Enter the characters in the code at the bottom. If you cannot understand what is pictured, you can click the speaker icon for audio assistance or click the "see a new set of characters" icon for a new picture.

9. Click the "I accept" button to finish. You are taken to your Hotmail inbox immediately so you can start adding contacts and setting up your preferences.

References

• Hotmail: Signup