As technology has evolved, we’ve developed new and better ways to access your e-mail, and it’s important to us that we provide you with the most efficient ways to do so. With that in mind, Hotmail is preparing to stop using the DAV protocol on September 1, 2009.

What does this mean? Well, if you currently access Hotmail using a desktop mail program like Microsoft Office Outlook, Outlook Express, or Entourage, you may still be using the DAV protocol in these programs, and you’ll need to take action in order to continue getting your Hotmail. We’ll be sending mail to customers who are likely to be affected to let them know what they’ll need to do. Here is a quick summary.

What is the DAV protocol?

The DAV protocol is a communications method that mail programs use to display your e-mail. Outlook, Outlook Express, and Entourage may use it to display your Hotmail.

Why are you changing this?

Outlook, Outlook Express, and Entourage have historically used the DAV protocol to access Hotmail. Because the DAV protocol is an older communications method, it doesn’t work very efficiently for processing large inboxes such as the one you may have in Hotmail. Because Hotmail now provides you with ever-growing storage,* we’ve developed alternative communications methods that are more efficient and better able to accommodate large volumes of archived mail. Now that these alternative methods (including the POP3 protocol) are available to all Hotmail users for free, we’re retiring the less efficient DAV protocol.

Will this affect me?

If you use Microsoft Office Outlook, Outlook Express, or Entourage to view Hotmail, the DAV protocol retirement may affect you. To continue receiving e-mail from your Hotmail account in one of these mail programs, please follow one of the recommended solutions below before September 1, 2009. After that date, new e-mail can only be delivered to your mail program through the following alternative solutions. As always, you can also view your e-mail on the web at http://mail.live.com or http://www.hotmail.com.

• If you use Microsoft Office Outlook to view Hotmail, download Office Outlook Connector (it’s free) to continue accessing your Hotmail within Outlook 2003 or 2007. If you’re using Outlook 2002, you’ll need to change the settings in your Outlook program. Learn more about this from the Windows Live Solution Center article on Hotmail and Outlook.
• If you use Outlook Express to view Hotmail, you can download Windows Live Mail (recommended) for free, or change your settings in Outlook Express to continue accessing your Hotmail there. Learn more about this from the Windows Live Solution Center article on Hotmail and Outlook Express.
• If you use Entourage to view Hotmail, you’ll need to change the settings in Entourage to continue receiving Hotmail messages there. Learn more about this from the Windows Live Solution Center article on Hotmail and Entourage.

Have more questions?

View our FAQ page or visit the Hotmail Community Forum.

Thanks for using Windows Live Hotmail.

- Irene Lee
  The Windows Live team

*Assumes a reasonable growth rate.

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