Microsoft sparks anger by charging Hotmail and Outlook users to keep their old emails
Bad news for long time users
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
Update:Microsoftgot in touch to provide the following statement:
“We’ve always had a notice for both paid and free customers that are nearing or hitting their data limit. The design of the notice has recently changed, but there have been no changes to our data limits or policies.”
So, it looks like change of the design could be what alerted people to the fact they have gone over their allowance. It suggests the previous notice was too easily missed by users.
Microsoft also suggested that customers should delete content or purchase a subscription, which some users may not be too fond of. Microsoft has awebpage with information about storage limitsand how to reduce your inbox size.
Original story below…
According to new reports, Microsoft has shocked and enraged long-term users of its Hotmail and Outlook email services by sending out messages warning users that they are nearing their storage limit.
Back in 2013, Microsoftretired its Hotmail serviceand migrated everyone to Outlook.com, while allowing them to keep their Hotmail addresses.
Get the best Black Friday deals direct to your inbox, plus news, reviews, and more.
Sign up to be the first to know about unmissable Black Friday deals on top tech, plus get all your favorite TechRadar content.
Microsoft also added a 15GB storage limit, and it seems that suddenly a lot of Hotmail users have logged in to find they are over the limit, and will no longer be able to send or receive emails until they either delete older emails to free up space or sign up toMicrosoft 365, which offers more storage capacity (as well as access to Office software like Word) for $69.99 / £59.99 / AU$99 a year.
That’s quite a leap from the free tier, and if you don’t want Microsoft’s Office applications, then it could feel like you’re being forced to pay for a service you’re not really going to use.
Late notice
While Microsoft is entirely in the right by reminding people of the terms they agreed to, many users are taking issue with the fact that they hadn’t been warned about the limit in the eight years it’s been in place, and many people are now being told they are over the limit after years of being over.
As theDaily Express reports, people well over the 15GB limit have suddenly been locked out of sending and receiving emails until they delete older ones.
Now, you can argue that it’s the users' faults, as they are over the agreed limit. However, some people may have not been aware of the new limit, or forgotten about it, after their Hotmail accounts were migrated in 2013.
It also seems Microsoft for some reason did not send reminders or warnings about users approaching or going over the limit until recently. We’ve contacted Microsoft for comment.
No matter who is at fault, it’s resulted in a lot of annoyed Hotmail and Outlook users, who are now facing the prospect of paying to keep their old emails.
Matt is TechRadar’s Managing Editor for Core Tech, looking after computing and mobile technology. Having written for a number of publications such as PC Plus, PC Format, T3 and Linux Format, there’s no aspect of technology that Matt isn’t passionate about, especially computing and PC gaming. He’s personally reviewed and used most of the laptops in our best laptops guide - and since joining TechRadar in 2014, he’s reviewed over 250 laptops and computing accessories personally.
No joke, Gmail is 20 and we’re probably better for it
Google’s next AI update for Gmail could let you ask it to write emails with your voice
The Galaxy S25 Ultra’s rumored iPhone-beating power could tempt me back to Android
