Have you ever wished you could use only a single e-mail account and forward mail from all others to it automatically? You could always forward Gmail messages automatically to any other account. But today, Hotmail users can also - at last - break free!
I was one of those dreaming of a day to come when I could move between e-mail providers as I wish while receiving e-mail automatically forwarded from all my other accounts. When Gmail allowed this, I was forced to consolidate my accounts to Hotmail, as Hotmail at that point only allowed automatic mail forwarding within the Microsoft controlled domains (@hotmail.com and @live.com).
Naturally, I was never pleased with the Hotmail set of features compared to what Gmail previously served me with. But all that has changed today. Microsoft had gradually started the roll-out of upgrades to its Hotmail service, and my account just got the refresh today. Now I had already read much about the changes - advertised months before it even started – but to my surprise, a very low-profile feature crept into the new Hotmail capabilities: automatic forwarding has now been left open to any domain!
I quickly tested by addressing a message from work to my Hotmail account after stopping the Gmail automatic forwarding. I felt giddy as my first test mail to Hotmail arrived in my Gmail inbox; free … at … last! Online Gadgets! Greasemonkey Scripts! Firefox Add-ons! Chrome Extensions! Ohh my head, feeling giddy again from the unlimited customization capabilities that abound.
Here’s what you need, and a bonus feature to top it:
- Make sure you’ve been migrated to the new Hotmail. The rollout is mandatory to all, and will reach you eventually with no user intervention required. You’ll know you’ve been migrated when you see the new interface with a toolbar as in the picture below.
- You’ll find the necessary configuration setting under [Options > More Options > Forward mail to another e-mail account]. Once configured, you’ll see the following message bar appear above your inbox:
- Make sure to remove any automatic forwarding from your other e-mail provider if configured.
The bonus you get when migrating to Gmail is the automatic migration assistant that is provided as a free service. Under “Settings”, choose “Accounts and Import”. The feature will import all mail messages and address book contacts from your previous e-mail provider into your Gmail account.
The questions now is: will Yahoo play catch-up with the two e-mail giants? Voice your opinion in the comments section.
No comments:
Post a Comment