Hotmail Sign in from a public computer
When you login to your Hotmail account from home and check your emails, there isn't much risk involved as long as you have an up-to-date machine (set to automatically download updates), and are running a firewall and antivirus software protection. The security concerns come into play when your sign in to Hotmail from a public computer: at school, at work, at a public library, etc. We will show you how to best protect your Hotmail account from hackers and other malicious users in an unfamiliar location.
Securely sign in to Hotmail from a public computer
Follow these steps to safely access your Hotmail emails in a public place:
- Go to Windows Live Hotmail by typing www.live.com or www.hotmail.com in the web browser's address bar; if needed (someone else currently logged in), click on the "Sign Out" link.
- Once you see the blank Hotmail sign in form, it should look like this:
- Type your full Hotmail email address inside the "Windows Live ID" text field - your full email address should be in the form "your-email@hotmail.com" or "your-email@live.com".
- Then, after a suspicious glance above your shoulder, proceed to type your Hotmail account password: a safe password should include uppercase and lowercase letters, and even digits to make it harder to guess: see how to change your Hotmail password (but do it from home!)
- Make sure that the "Remember me" checkbox is unchecked: otherwise, the Windows Live Hotmail sign in screen will auto-populate your email address next time someone goes to Hotmail.com or Live.com inside that particular web browser.
- Also, definitely make sure that the "Remember my password" checkbox is unchecked. Otherwise, the next person to open Hotmail in that browser will directly land in your inbox!
- Then, click on the "Sign in" button to login and access your emails.
Safely sign out of Windows Live Hotmail from a public computer
This applies to using an actual computer that isn't yours: if you are using your laptop, this step may be less important, if not unnecessary if access to your laptop is fully password-protected.
- Once you are done checking your emails on the public computer, you need to logout and make sure that the next user will not be able to access your Hotmail account. Please see "Confirm Hotmail sign out (completely logout)" for detailed explanations of the steps to follow.
Tip: if possible, there are two additional security precautions you can take when you sign in from a public computer at school, at work, in a library, or any other public place that offers public computers for internet access or free Wi-Fi to its patrons. The first is to anonymously login to your Hotmail account, and the second is to login to Hotmail with a single-use sign in code.
New Hotmail, MSN Hotmail, Windows Live Hotmail & Live email are all referring to the same free webmail service offered by Microsoft and Windows Live Team (works on Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, Mac OS X). Microsoft Corporation, Apple, and other companies own the copyright or trademark to these and other terms mentioned.