by Michael Mehlberg

Created on: February 04, 2007   Last Updated: May 13, 2007

After using Outlook, Thunderbird, and Opera email management software, I've found Windows LiveMail Desktop is the single most useful program for managing your emails through one simple interface. Though the software you choose is mostly based on preference, I'd like to point out some useful features that make Windows LiveMail Desktop a favorable all-in-one email management tool.

SIMPLE ACCOUNT MANAGEMENT
Adding accounts is a snap; LiveMail Desktop figured out all POP and SMTP settings with ONLY my email address and password for Hotmail and Gmail. Once an account is added, your online folders and emails are downloaded to your machine or managed through IMAP.

Your email accounts are listed on the side-bar of Windows LiveMail Desktop. Accounts with new messages clearly stand-out from others. You can view your unread emails by simply clicking on that account. This is a large step away from "rule-based account management", where the user would have to create rules to filter emails into different folders based on which account they came from.

DOWNLOAD YOUR HOTMAIL EMAIL WITHOUT PREMIUM SERVICE
For those that use Hotmail, Windows LiveMail Desktop has a clear advantage of being the only desktop software (I know of) that allows you to download your email without having to pay for the premium Hotmail service. Online email applications like Google's Gmail are, of course, free and already available for download.

While the look of Windows LiveMail Desktop will impress some and disgust others, this software one of the first systems I've seen that allows you to quickly and easily add multiple email accounts and manage them through one desktop application.

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