How do I make a new MSN Hotmail account?

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Summary: Making a new MSN Hotmail account isn't as obvious as many think. First you need to make the option to make a new MSN Hotmail account visible - by signing out.

A lot of people will think I'm nuts for taking on this question. To them, the answer seems so blindingly obvious they'll wonder why I'm wasting my time.

I'm not.

They don't see what I see - and what I see is this question, or very similar versions of it, being asked almost daily.

If hundreds of people miss "the obvious" - is it really that obvious?"

And besides, there are issues people should be aware of.

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Here's the part that's so "obvious" to some, and not so obvious at all to many:

Step 1: Sign Out

The thing that confuses people is that they have some form of "remember me" turned on. That means you may never (or rarely) see the Hotmail login screen after your first login. That, in turn, means you'll never see the options to create a new account.

So sign out. Near the top of your browser window you'll see something like this:

Notice the signout button that I've highlighted. Click that, and you'll be signed out of Hotmail and returned to the MSN home page.

Now, go to http://hotmail.com, and you'll see a page that contains this:

Instead of logging in, click on the Sign Up button, and you'll start the process of creating a new account.

Now, about those "issues" I mentioned. Here are some things to realize:

• There's no way to transfer your existing information from your old HotMail account to your new one.

• There's no way to 'rename' your existing account either.

• HotMail is a free service, and you get what you pay for. Customer service is almost non-existent should you run into a problem.

Because I see so many people run into problems using, and in particular relying on, free email services such as HotMail I strongly recommend you never use this type of service for anything important. If your email is important to you, if keeping your contacts is important to you, and if having customer service to help you when (not if) you run into a problem is important to you, then I strongly suggest using an email account from your ISP or other paid provider.

If you're planning on changing your email address anyway, now is the perfect time to do so.

Related:

• Ask Leo! - How do I make a new Windows Live Hotmail account?

• Ask Leo! - How do I switch Windows Live Hotmail back to the old style MSN Hotmail?

• Ask Leo! - Are free email services worth it?

• Ask Leo! - Can I rename my Hotmail account?