To use any Microsoft services, you need to create a Microsoft account—an email address and password that you use to sign in to all Microsoft sites and services, including Outlook.com, Hotmail, Messenger, and SkyDrive. A Microsoft account also gets you into other Microsoft sites such as Xbox LIVE, Zune, and Office Live.
You can create a new Microsoft account at Outlook.com, or you can use an address you already have as your Microsoft account.
To sign up for a Microsoft account
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Go to the Microsoft account sign-up
webpage.
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To use your own email address for your Microsoft account, enter it. If your email provider supports POP3, you can even manage your old address in Hotmail or Outlook.com.
-or-
To get a Hotmail inbox, click Sign up now, and then create a new email address for your Microsoft account.
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Provide the rest of the information, and then read the
Microsoft service agreement
and the privacy statement. If you agree to the terms, click I accept.
If you used an existing email address to sign up, you'll need to verify it to prove that it's yours. For more information, see Why do I need to verify my email address?
If you have trouble with the characters in the picture, see How do I match the characters in the picture?
