If you’re experiencing the annoying problem of Hotmail not working on Mac Mail, don’t worry — you’re not alone. Many Mac users encounter issues like emails not syncing, being unable to send or receive messages, or even login failures when setting up Hotmail in the Mail app. These problems are usually caused by incorrect account settings, outdated software, or authentication errors. Fortunately, with a few simple steps, you can resolve these issues and restore full access to your Hotmail account on Mac Mail quickly and easily.
Start by checking your account credentials and mail server settings. Since Hotmail has transitioned to Outlook.com, it now uses IMAP for incoming mail and SMTP for outgoing mail. Open Mail > Preferences > Accounts, select your Hotmail account, and make sure the incoming mail server is set to imap-mail.outlook.com, port 993, with SSL turned on. The outgoing server should be smtp-mail.outlook.com, port 587, also with SSL enabled. Ensure you’re using your full Hotmail email address as the username and that the password is current. If you’ve recently changed your Microsoft account password, don’t forget to update it here as well.
Next, review your Microsoft account’s security settings to enable app-specific access. If two-step verification is not already enabled, turn it on from your Microsoft account security page. Once enabled, generate an app password specifically for use with Mac Mail, and enter this password instead of your regular one when setting up the account. This step helps resolve many authentication problems due to Microsoft’s updated security requirements. Also, check that your macOS and Mail app are up to date by going to System Preferences > Software Update, as older versions may not fully support Microsoft’s servers.
Finally, if you’re still having trouble, try removing and re-adding your Hotmail account in Mac Mail. Sometimes, the existing configuration can become corrupted and starting fresh is the easiest fix. Go to Mail > Preferences > Accounts, select your Hotmail account, and click the minus (-) button to remove it. Then, click the plus (+) button to add it again using the correct settings. If the problem persists, consider accessing your Hotmail account through the Outlook web interface or downloading the Microsoft Outlook app for Mac. Following these steps should help resolve the Hotmail not working on Mac Mail issue and get your email functioning properly again.