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Migrate Hotmail to Office 365 – Secure, Quick & Easy Methods [2025]

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Published By Mohit Kumar Jha
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Published On August 26th, 2025
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Reading Time 7 Minutes Reading
If you’re using a Hotmail account for work, you’ve probably faced issues like missing advanced collaboration tools, limited storage, difficulty syncing across devices, or data security concerns. To overcome this problem, the best solution is to migrate Hotmail to Office 365, which we’ll discuss here.

So, let’s start this tutorial quickly!

Why Perform Hotmail to Office 365 Migration?

Hotmail worked fine for years, but once you switch to Microsoft 365, the benefits you get:

  • Manage emails in Outlook with Exchange Online.
  • Data has enterprise-grade security.
  • Integration with Teams, OneDrive, and SharePoint simplified collaboration.
  • Using a professional Office 365 mailbox gives you more credibility in work communications.

That’s why I wanted to keep my old Hotmail data while moving into the Office 365 ecosystem.

Prerequisites to Migrate Hotmail to Office 365 Hassle-Free

Before starting, it is better to follow these pre-migration steps first to avoid errors and confusion:

  • An active Office 365 account with a mailbox created.
  • Proper Hotmail credentials, i.e. email and password.
  • Two-step verification is enabled for the Hotmail to Office 365 migration.
  • IMAP migration won’t work with a regular Hotmail password; you have to create an app password.
  • Export Hotmail emails to a PST file as a safety measure.

These steps are not optional, so verify all of them on a priority basis. When completed, with prerequisites, go through the methods given below:

#Solution 1. Migrate Hotmail to Office 365 Via Outlook Export/Import

For a single account migration, exporting/importing data from Hotmail to Microsoft 365 will help. To do so, follow the instructions given below:

Step 1. Add Hotmail to Outlook

  • Open Outlook Desktop.
  • Go to File > Add Account.
  • Enter your Hotmail address and complete sign-in.

Now, your Hotmail is configured with your Outlook. Next, we’ll export Office 365 mailbox to PST.

Step 2. Export Hotmail Emails to PST

  • In Outlook.
  • Hit the File > Open & Export > Import/Export.
  • Select Export to a file > Outlook Data File (.pst).
  • Choose your Hotmail folders and save the PST.

Step 3. Import PST into Microsoft 365

Now, upload PST to Office 365 by following:

  • Open Outlook, click File.
  • Afterwards, select Open & Export > Import/Export.
  • Choose Import from another program or file > .pst.
  • Select the PST file and import it into the Office 365 mailbox.

Those who are looking for a free solution to move 1 or 2 mailboxes, then they can opt for this.

#Solution 2. IMAP Hotmail to Office 365 Migration

For moving several Hotmail accounts, IMAP migration is the right approach.

Things to remember:

  • IMAP migration only moves emails, not contacts, calendars, or tasks.
  • You have to export contacts/calendars separately (CSV/ICS).
  • Each Office 365 mailbox must be created before migration.

This method is capable enough to move data in bulk, but this is lengthy and complicated. So, I divided the phases into 6 steps, so that you can easily understand and migrate Hotmail to Office 365 hassle-free:

Step 1. Prepare Your Hotmail Account

  • Sign in to your Hotmail/Outlook.com account.
  • Go to Settings > View all Outlook settings.
  • Navigate to Mail > Sync Email.
  • Ensure POP and IMAP are enabled.
    • IMAP server: imap-mail.outlook.com
    • Port: 993
    • Encryption: SSL/TLS
    • SMTP server: smtp-mail.outlook.com (for sending emails)

Step 2. Verify Office 365 Domain for Hotmail to Office 365 migration

  • Log in to the Microsoft 365 Admin Center.
  • Go to Setup > Domains.
  • Add and verify your domain.
  • Update DNS records as instructed

Step 3. Create Mailboxes in Office 365

  • In the Admin Center, go to Users > Active Users.
  • Click Add a User and create new mailboxes in Office 365 for each Hotmail account you’ll migrate.

Example: mack@hotmail.com > john@mackdomain.com.

Step 4. Prepare a Migration CSV File

You need a CSV file listing the Hotmail mailboxes to migrate. Example format to migrate Hotmail to Office 365:

EmailAddress,UserName,Password
mack1@userdomain.com,user1@hotmail.com,password123
john2@userdomain.com,user2@hotmail.com,password456
  • EmailAddress: Office 365 mailbox
  • UserName: Hotmail email address
  • Password: Hotmail account password

Make sure passwords are correct; otherwise, migration will fail.

Step 5. Create an IMAP Hotmail to Office 365 Migration Batch

  • Open Microsoft 365 Admin Center.
  • Go to Exchange Admin Center (EAC) > Recipients > Migration.
  • Click New (+) > Migrate to Exchange Online.
  • Choose IMAP migration.
  • Upload the CSV file you prepared.
  • Enter IMAP server details:
    • IMAP server: imap-mail.outlook.com
    • Authentication: Basic
    • Encryption: SSL
    • Port: 993
  • Validate and save the migration batch.
  • Select your migration batch in EAC > Migration.
  • Click Start to begin migration.

#Solution 3. Microsoft 365 Import Service with AzCopy

For large or multiple PSTs, I found Microsoft’s Import Service efficient. To migrate Hotmail to Office 365:

  • Export the Hotmail mailbox to PST as we discussed in Method 1.
  • If needed, you can import PST to Yahoo Mail, Apple Mail, or Google Workspace.
  • Now, download and install the Azure AzCopy tool from Microsoft’s official site. This tool lets you upload PSTs to Microsoft’s Azure storage location.
  • Afterwards, sign in to the Microsoft 365 Admin Center for Hotmail to Office 365 migration.
  • Navigate to: Security & Compliance Center > Data Governance > Import.
  • Create a new import job.
  • Microsoft provides a SAS URL (Shared Access Signature URL). This is the secure link to upload PSTs to Azure storage.
  • Open Command Prompt as Administrator. Run an AzCopy command like this:
    • AzCopy.exe copy "C:\PSTFiles\HotmailBackup.pst" "" --recursive=true
  • Prepare a CSV file that tells Microsoft where to import the PST. Example format:
    • Workload,FilePath,Name,Mailbox,IsArchive,TargetRootFolder
    Exchange,,HotmailBackup.pst,user@domain.com,FALSE,/
    Mailbox > the target Office 365 mailbox.
    FilePath > exact PST filename.
  • Go back to the Import Service in Security & Compliance Center.
  • Upload the CSV mapping file. Validate it.
  • After validation, choose Import to Exchange Online.

Microsoft recommends keeping PSTs under 20 GB for reliability.

When did I Use Third-party Tools to Migrate Hotmail to Office 365?

While Microsoft provides native methods, I also tested professional migration tools like SysTools Hotmail to Office 365 Migrator.

Download Now

Purchase Now

Why? Because this tool:

  • Move emails, contacts, and calendars together.
  • Support multiple accounts at once.
  • Offer delta migration, which migrates only new items after the first sync.
  • Save a lot of manual effort compared to IMAP or PST methods.

If you’re not confident with PowerShell, AzCopy, or CSV mapping, I’d recommend trying this tool for free!

How to Perform Hotmail to Office 365 Migration Effortlessly - Tool Steps

  • Step 1. Open the software, and choose source (IMAP) & target (Office 365).
  • Step 2. The Email checkbox is already enabled, and you can leverage the Date filter for the desired data migration.
  • Step 3. Verify the IMAP server URL in your Office 365 admin console.
  • Step 4. Provide the target Admin Email & Application ID.
  • Step 5. In the Users screen, there are two ways to add source users, i.e. Import Users & Download Template.
  • Step 6. Press the Start Migration button to migrate Hotmail to Office 365.

Post-Migration Checklist

After migration, make sure to:

  • Test send/receive in Office 365.
  • Verify folder counts matched.
  • Import contacts and calendars separately if needed.
  • Recreate inbox rules and forwarding settings.
  • Update MX records and confirm mail flow.

Author’s Verdict

When I migrated my Hotmail to Office 365, the key was choosing the right method for my situation. Unfortunately, at that time, I didn’t have an appropriate solution.

That’s why I created this article and explained the methods available in August 2025 to migrate Hotmail to Office 365 without any external help or data loss. You can opt for any and complete the Hotmail to Office 365 migration simultaneously.

People Also Ask (FAQ)

Q. Do I need to enable two-step verification for IMAP migration?

Yes, and you’ll need to generate an app password for each Hotmail account.

Q. Will IMAP migration move contacts and calendars?

No, only emails are migrated. Export contacts/calendars separately.

Q. Q. What’s the best way for bulk migration?

Use the Microsoft 365 Import Service (AzCopy) or SysTools Cloud Migration Tool.

Q. What’s the best method to migrate Hotmail to Office 365 for a single user?

Exporting Hotmail emails to PST and importing them into Office 365 is the simplest.

Q. How long does the Hotmail to Office 365 migration take?

It depends on mailbox size; a small mailbox can take minutes, a large one hours.