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Hotmail / Outlook.com Status Monitor

Is Hotmail Down Right Now?

Hotmail is now Outlook.com, powered by Microsoft Exchange Online. Use this guide to confirm outages, troubleshoot login and sending issues, and get notified when Microsoft email service recovers.

Microsoft Status Page Community Reports

Quick Hotmail Status Checklist

1. Check status.office365.com for incidents.
2. Confirm with community outage reports.
3. Try outlook.live.com in incognito.
4. Check if your account is locked at account.microsoft.com.

Still having issues? Microsoft email support has live troubleshooting guides.

TLDR: Hotmail is currently believed to be operational. Check the official Hotmail status page or apistatuscheck.com for real-time status.

Real-time monitoring coming soon

We are working on adding live status checks for this service.

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Check the Microsoft 365 service health dashboard

Microsoft's official service health page shows real-time status for Exchange Online (which powers Hotmail / Outlook.com) including planned maintenance.

status.office365.com

Look for community outage reports

Crowd-sourced reports at Downdetector confirm whether Hotmail login errors, sending failures, or server timeouts are widespread.

Downdetector Hotmail reports

Test Outlook.com directly

Hotmail is now Outlook.com — try logging in at outlook.live.com in an incognito window on a different network to isolate local issues.

outlook.live.com

What happens when Hotmail goes down?

Hotmail login not working

Login failures, "password incorrect" errors when credentials are correct, or infinite loading at the sign-in screen often indicate Microsoft authentication server issues.

Emails not sending or stuck in outbox

Messages that sit in the outbox for minutes, return delivery failure notices, or silently fail to send point to Exchange Online degradation.

Inbox not loading or updating

A blank inbox, missing recent emails, or a mailbox that won't sync across devices is a common symptom of Microsoft email service disruptions.

IMAP/SMTP connection errors

Third-party email clients connecting to Hotmail via IMAP (outlook.office365.com) or SMTP may see authentication errors or connection timeouts during outages.

How do I troubleshoot Hotmail issues?

1
Check Microsoft's service health page
Go to status.office365.com to see if Microsoft has acknowledged an Exchange Online incident. This is the fastest way to confirm a service-wide outage.
2
Try outlook.live.com in a fresh incognito window
Open a private browser session, go to outlook.live.com, and attempt to log in. This rules out browser extensions, cached credentials, or cookies causing the issue.
3
Clear browser cache and cookies
Stale session cookies can prevent Hotmail from loading correctly. Clear your browser cache (Cmd+Shift+Delete on Mac, Ctrl+Shift+Delete on Windows) and try again.
4
Check IMAP/SMTP settings if using a mail client
Verify your client uses the correct Hotmail/Outlook settings: IMAP server outlook.office365.com port 993 (SSL), SMTP server smtp.office365.com port 587 (STARTTLS).
5
Verify account isn't locked or flagged
Microsoft may temporarily lock accounts for unusual activity. Check for security alerts at account.microsoft.com and complete any verification steps required.

Real-Time Hotmail Monitoring

API Status Check monitors Microsoft email service independently so you get an accurate picture of Hotmail / Outlook.com uptime without relying on Microsoft alone.

Independent Hotmail / Outlook.com monitoring
API Status Check tracks Microsoft email status independently so you don't have to rely solely on Microsoft's own health dashboard.
Historical incident log
Review Hotmail's past outages, mean time to recovery, and recurring failure patterns to understand its reliability history.
Real-time alerts via email, RSS, or webhook
Get notified the moment Hotmail or Outlook.com experiences a new incident so you can plan around the disruption.

What can I do during a Hotmail outage?

Access Hotmail via the Outlook mobile app

The Outlook mobile app for iOS and Android uses a different code path than the web app. If web access is down, the app may still work during partial outages.

Check email via account.microsoft.com

Sometimes a different entry point to Microsoft services stays up. Try accessing your inbox through the Microsoft account portal as an alternative path.

Use a different email address temporarily

During extended outages, forward urgent communications to a Gmail or other backup address while waiting for Microsoft to restore service.

Set up Hotmail outage alerts

API Status Check can notify you by email or webhook the moment Microsoft email service is restored after an outage.

🔔 Get free alerts when Hotmail goes down

We monitor Hotmail and 190+ APIs every 5 minutes. Get email alerts for outages and recoveries — free, no account needed.

Frequently asked questions about Hotmail status

Is Hotmail still a thing in 2026?

Yes — Hotmail accounts still work, but the service is now branded as Outlook.com. If you have a @hotmail.com address, you access it at outlook.live.com. The backend is Microsoft's Exchange Online.

Is Hotmail down right now?

Check status.office365.com for the official Microsoft Exchange Online status, and Downdetector for crowd-sourced Hotmail outage reports to confirm a widespread issue.

Why can't I log in to Hotmail?

Login failures are usually caused by Microsoft authentication server issues, a locked account due to suspicious activity, or a forgotten password. Check status.office365.com first, then try account recovery at account.microsoft.com.

Why are my Hotmail emails not sending?

Emails stuck in outbox or generating delivery errors usually indicate Exchange Online degradation. Check the Microsoft service health page and wait for the incident to resolve.

What are the correct IMAP settings for Hotmail?

IMAP server: outlook.office365.com, port 993, SSL. SMTP server: smtp.office365.com, port 587, STARTTLS. Authentication: your full @hotmail.com address and password.