How to switch from Outlook.com to Hotmail [How-To Guide]

August 7, 2012 575 Email article | Print article

Outlook.com is a new free web e-mail service by Microsoft intended to replace Hotmail. Using Outlook.com can be done by creating a new Outlook.com account or upgrading your existing Hotmail account to Outlook.com. If you have used Outlook.com and decided you want to go back to Hotmail, that can be done easily. This guide shows you how to do it.

Before We Begin

Before we being, take note going from Hotmail to Outlook.com does not change your e-mail address. This means if you created a new @outlook.com e-mail, that e-mail will stay with you when you go to Hotmail; if you converted your Hotmail account to Outlook.com, you will still retain the same Hotmail e-mail when you go back.

Also, downgrading from Outlook.com to Hotmail does not result in loss of data. All your e-mails, contacts, folders, etc. are converted with you. The only thing that changes when going from Outlook.com to Hotmail is the user interface; you get the old Hotmail inbox and features back.

Lastly, if you were forced to upgrade to Outlook.com from Hotmail, you cannot revert back to Hotmail. Going from Outlook.com to Hotmail is only for those people that voluntarily upgraded.

UPDATE: It looks like Microsoft is no longer allowing people to revert back to Hotmail from Outlook.com. Sorry people — you are stuck with Outlook.com, you cannot change back!

How To Go Back To Hotmail From Outlook.com (How To Turn Off Outlook.com)

The following are the steps you need to take to covert your Outlook.com account to Hotmail:

Note: To enlarge any images below, simply click on them.

  • Login to Outlook.com.
  • Once logged in, you will be taken to your Outlook.com inbox. From there click on the gear icon located near the top-right corner:

  • Clicking on the gear icon will open a menu. From that menu click on Switch back to Hotmail:

  • Next you will be prompted with a message asking for feedback. If you want to provide feedback, click on Send feedback; otherwise, click on Skip feedback:

  • Done.

If you opted to send feedback, you will be asked a series of questions after which you will be taken to Hotmail; if you opted to not send feedback, you will be taken directly to Hotmail:

Conclusion

Switching between Hotmail and Outlook.com is very easy and dotTech’s two guides How To Upgrade From Hotmail to Outlook.com and How To Switch from Outlook.com to Hotmail make the process even easier thanks to our step-by-step directions with screenshots. So go, venture into the world of Microsoft e-mail without fear of permanent change. Enjoy!

575 Comments »

  1. ALAN SHEEHAN. March 18, 2013 at 10:35 AM (comment permalink) -

    I give to the needy,and although i know some..i have
    no need to go cap in hand to the wealthy,because i
    make my living from investments.Time zone = GMT.

    326
  2. ALAN SHEEHAN. March 18, 2013 at 10:41 AM (comment permalink) -

    Yes Kendra,i did mean “here at this end”–using your
    phrase,but i guess,i’m safe anyway,as i clicked on
    privacy upon registering-thanks,Alan.

    327
  3. John M. Burt March 18, 2013 at 10:55 AM (comment permalink) -

    Well, if there really is no hope at all of getting back to Hotmail once forcibly shoved off the rim of the Outlook toilet bowl, then I guess there is no reason for me to come back to this forum.
    My thanks to everyone, but most especially to Alan. Gee, I sure wish you were in charge of e-mail services at MS. Indeed, I’d be delighted to do business with any operation in which you had a policy-making role.

    328
  4. ALAN SHEEHAN. March 18, 2013 at 12:14 PM (comment permalink) -

    JMB,Many thanks for the kind words.I receive all the
    messages from doTech at my inbox,so please feel
    free to contact me at any time.My time zone is GMT,
    and i can be contacted any time..even as late as 5am.
    Good luck to you pal,Alan.

    329
  5. nniny March 18, 2013 at 1:21 PM (comment permalink) -

    hey i have the new hp laptop and it contains windows 8. and all of a sudden i went to log in to my hotmail account and was surprised by this change. I did not volunteer to change anything, and yet I do not have the “Switch back” prompt. A little help?

    330
  6. Kendra farns March 18, 2013 at 1:25 PM (comment permalink) -

    @ AS Kudo’s want a job

    @nniny
    Have you read any of these comments? There is no option to revert. Your choices are use Outlook.com or find a different mail provider. It isnt your Hotmail (unfortunately it is Microsofts)

    331
  7. ALAN SHEEHAN. March 18, 2013 at 1:31 PM (comment permalink) -

    Read the previous posts.

    332
  8. Evolving52 March 18, 2013 at 5:48 PM (comment permalink) -

    [@Mark Lee]
    @Mark Lee. I’m in the US. it is offered when I go into my inbox, but when I follow the link, I’m told I cannot switch at this time.

    333
  9. ALAN SHEEHAN. March 18, 2013 at 5:58 PM (comment permalink) -

    Go to 321,read the first 4 lines,Alan.

    334
  10. Hafiz March 18, 2013 at 10:32 PM (comment permalink) -

    there are only thees options

    Reading pane
    Off
    Right
    Bottom
    More mail settings
    Help
    Feedback

    335
  11. Hafiz March 18, 2013 at 10:49 PM (comment permalink) -

    there are only thees options

    Reading pane
    Off
    Right
    Bottom
    More mail settings
    Help
    Feedback
    plz some 1 can help me to go in previous look

    336
  12. Kendra farns March 18, 2013 at 11:59 PM (comment permalink) -

    @Hafiz

    YOU CANT GO BACK TO HOTMAIL.!!!!!!

    337
  13. Zak March 19, 2013 at 2:07 AM (comment permalink) -

    Hi all
    I m trying to switch back from outlook to normal hotmail but when I followed the process I couldn’t find the icon “switch to hotmail”
    Please guys I need your help
    Cheers
    Zak

    338
  14. Thievedisliker March 19, 2013 at 2:16 AM (comment permalink) -

    Yep!! Everyone, I have the same problem. But Hey! This is the world of “BIG BROTHER.’ We are all trapped in the world of cyberspace. No more choices to decide for ourselves, if we want a product or NOT!! No more “You can Switch No,” here buttons.

    We will be subtly manipulated (just like this OUTLOOK.com product) and seduced into having products we HATE! Because the new ambitious young corporate worlds manipulate the consumers physic, by seducing us into these products and saying to themselves: “The consumers will get over-it and just get use to the product.”

    Well, it’s All an invasion of one’s privacy and ALL this cyberspace is gonn’a get Worse!!

    I hope All these young Executives get their products THROWN Back in their Faces!! In ONE way or another!!

    There I said it!! I miss my hotmail.com!!!!!!!

    D.

    339
  15. Thievedisliker March 19, 2013 at 2:24 AM (comment permalink) -

    PS WE ALL WANT OUR HOTMAIL.COM BACK!!!

    340
  16. Mark Lee March 19, 2013 at 2:54 AM (comment permalink) -

    [@ALAN SHEEHAN.] [@Kendra farns]

    I do admire your extraordinary patience under stressful conditions… [grin]… If someone bothers to go back and count the number of times you people (and others) have said the same thing over and over again – THERE’S NO WAY BACKP, PEOPLE!!! — to which I would add, going forward — PLEASE READ THE FORUM BEFORE ACTING LIKE LAZY FOOLS!!!…

    Alan, thank you very much for the time zone information… I do appreciate your exceedingly kind offer to every forum visitor but I do not expect (HOPE NOT…) to use it. But if I do… it’s nice to know you’re willing to help.

    And I want to fully agree to John Burt’s words: How great if MS had someone like you or Kendra in charge of its e-mail services! How different, indeed, this whole process would have been with one of you there. The way it has been so far (and there is no reason to expect them to change going forward) it’s close, if not completely, the antithesis of what a business needs to do. This is what I think.

    Thanks and regards to both of you.

    341
  17. ALAN SHEEHAN. March 19, 2013 at 4:42 AM (comment permalink) -

    Thanks Mark,for the kind words.I don’t like being
    dictated to in BIG BROTHER fashion,and being
    someone that’s used to thinking outside the box and
    using lateral thinking,i hit back any time,with some
    sort of sarky acerbic wit [if a good riposte comes to
    mind],and its often very amusing to see responses
    by IDIOT brains automatic BOTS that have been
    installed by BIG BROTHER to make us all toe the
    line.An example from a discussion Forum on an
    Amazon set up.Everybody was being told:-”your post has been modified accordingly as it has gone
    over the number of CAPS that we allow”.When one
    looked back at the modified post,it had been altered
    [edited] and was now ALL LOWER CASE.I thought,
    “i’m not taking this dictated to rubbish from a BOT”.
    I put my thinking cap on and came up with this.
    YOUARENOTDOINGTHISTOMEORANYONEELSENOMATTERWHATYOUTHINKSOGETSTUFFED
    hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah
    hahahahahahahahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahahahahaahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
    That solved it,apparently the BOT was confused &
    not being able to think for itself,it allowed the post to
    remain as it was.Myself and a few others had an
    almost hysterically funny near surreal session using
    many different WORD TOOLS,and one poster said
    “i was drinking tea,and i nearly had a bad laughing choking coughing fit-LOL.I know most of this is off
    thread..i just wanted to illustrate that BIG BROTHER
    does not win all the battles.Kind regards,Alan.

    342
  18. Kendra farns March 19, 2013 at 9:08 AM (comment permalink) -

    @Mark
    I am unsure anyone is in charge there as all I have seen is herd behavior.

    @Alan
    Love it. Idiotic bots, and language filters are high on my pet peeve list along with whiners and those who give zero details about a problem. Too little sleep today I guess.

    343
  19. ALAN SHEEHAN. March 19, 2013 at 9:46 AM (comment permalink) -

    Kendra,glad you liked the idea.About 10 nights ago,
    everyone was saying:-”whats happening people? has
    Amazon gone into MELTDOWN!-everybody was
    flitting from thread to thread,because the 1 they were
    on had gone into a Robot form of “IT DOES NOT
    COMPUTE[shades of DR WHO]-EXTERMINATE
    EXTERMINATE-kill the poster-ha ha ha,we could not
    type for laughing.I wonder..did our earlier tricks upset
    the poor little BOT-Alan.

    344
  20. Ellen Hohm March 19, 2013 at 10:05 AM (comment permalink) -

    [@Thievedisliker]

    I so AGREE…..who has the right to change my account that I am so familiar with…..I have NO time to figure this out and feel extremely violated!!! My feelings will NOT change…..I DO NOT like the new LOOK!! IT TRULY SUCK!!!!!!! A violation of personal rights indeed!!!!!!!

    345
  21. Kendra farns March 19, 2013 at 10:27 AM (comment permalink) -

    @Ellen

    Microsoft has the right. It is their email system and they are letting you use it for free. You always have the right to not use it.

    {sigh}

    346
  22. ALAN SHEEHAN. March 19, 2013 at 10:31 AM (comment permalink) -

    You know the saying Ellen,don’t get angry-get EVEN
    We should all set their customer service phone line
    alight,so that it goes into a Meltdown grinding halt.
    The number is difficult to find,but their are people out
    here dedicated to exposing the big companies who
    abuse customers by hiding facts and phone NOs
    I cant remember exactly but,there is a site/blog with
    name like:-SAYNOTO08700.Sites like these have a
    remit to help people to find the hidden phone NOs
    and the alternatives to the RIP OFF numbers.I will
    see if i can find out anything & get back later,good
    luck-Alan.

    347
  23. Kendra farns March 19, 2013 at 10:41 AM (comment permalink) -
  24. ALAN SHEEHAN. March 19, 2013 at 10:47 AM (comment permalink) -

    SNAP!
    http://www.saynoto0870.com/

    But its not the special one i was searching for,cheers!

    349
  25. ALAN SHEEHAN. March 19, 2013 at 10:54 AM (comment permalink) -

    This is one of the best ones,but i still cant locate the
    one i had in mind,Alan.

    http://gethuman.com/phone-number/Microsoft-Tech-Support/

    350

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