Coming from Hotmail?

Take a look at our Hotmail FAQ for more info about the transition to Outlook.com.

Outlook.com is a free, web-based email service from Microsoft that helps keep out spam and has tools to keep your email organized and streamlined. Watch the video above to see how to zip through basic email tasks in Outlook.com.

In general, with Outlook.com you can click less and get more done. If you choose to, you can connect your Outlook.com to Facebook and Twitter to see updates and Tweets right from your inbox. Or, set up automatic filters and clean-ups—and let Outlook.com do the work to keep just the email you want in your inbox. And unlike other email services, Outlook.com doesn't scan the contents of your email to sell ads.

Here's how to get started:

Click New at the top of your inbox. Then choose an address from your contacts, or type a new one into the To box. If you want to add a subject line, type that into the space at the top where you see Add a subject.

Select the message you wish to respond to in your inbox, then click Reply, or the arrow next to it, at the top of your inbox. When you click the arrow next to Reply, you'll see a drop down menu that includes Reply all and Forward.

Click the arrow to the right of Outlook at the top of your inbox.

Then choose the icon that corresponds to the feature you want to use. Click People to see your contacts, click Calendar to see your calendar, and click SkyDrive to see your file storage.