Windows Live Mail

Windows Live Mail is a free mail client from Microsoft that replaced Windows Mail, which was distributed with Windows Vista. It is able to receive mail from the server, distribute messages to folders, create new messages in the built-in editor and send them to recipients.

Immediately after startup the account wizard opens; POP3 and IMAP protocols for inbound mail and SMTP for outbound mail are supported, and it is also possible to read newsgroups via NNTP and RSS feeds. After setting up your account, the program is ready to download mail from your email and save it to disk. Messages received can be sorted into folders in Live Mail, and in this respect everything is standard: inbox, outbox, sent items, drafts and junk mail have their own folders, and you can create your own folders to group messages by topic. The interface of the later versions uses the ribbon toolbar known from Microsoft Office, the window of working with e-mails is similar to Outlook, and the mail editor resembles MS Word.

The program supports junk mail filtering based on Microsoft SmartScreen technology and has a built-in phishing filter that warns about suspicious messages. It can also block pictures in messages from unknown senders and keeps lists of safe and blocked senders.

Windows Live Mail collects several POP3 and IMAP email accounts, newsgroups and RSS feeds in one desktop program with a built-in calendar.

In addition to the basic functionality, the application has a calendar where you can schedule upcoming appointments, meetings and other events for any day or month, and the upcoming events can be shown in a calendar pane next to your messages.

This email client was distributed as part of the Windows Essentials package, formerly called Windows Live Essentials. The installer offers either a complete installation that includes Messenger, Photo Gallery, Movie Maker, Windows Live Mail, Writer, OneDrive and the Outlook Connector Pack, or a custom one: if you only need an email program, choose the programs you want to install and tick Mail only. Microsoft ended support for Windows Essentials 2012 on January 10, 2017, and the package is no longer offered by Microsoft, so the program receives no updates or security fixes.