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Microsoft ending offer of free custom domains for email service
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Microsoft ending offer of free custom domains for email service

jaypeesmithjaypeesmith Member
edited April 2014 in General

Well, if you haven't gotten yours, you're going to need a new option going forward.

From ZDNet:

....
Microsoft has stopped accepting new registrations for its free Custom Domains service, effective immediately. The move was announced today on the Windows Live Admin Center page, where users manage custom email addresses.

According to Mike Schackwitz, Principal Group Program Manager for the Outlook.com service, Microsoft will “wind down the Custom Domains product” while continuing to support existing custom email addresses “indefinitely.” The service has been in existence since 2005.

The move matches one that archrival Google made in December 2012, when it closed its Google Apps Free Edition. (That service had been in existence since 2006.) Today, Google Apps for Business costs $50 per user per year, with extra charges for enterprise features such as email archiving.

Microsoft’s goal is to move its customers to paid products, including the $60-a-year Office 365 Small Business (which includes Exchange Online, SharePoint Online, and Lync Online) and the $150-a-year Office 365 Small Business Premium (which adds a license to install the Office desktop programs and mobile apps for business use). According to a company spokesperson, existing customers will get a promotional offer.

....

and further down in the article:

....

Although the service no longer allows you to assign a new custom domain to Outlook.com, administrators of currently enrolled domains can continue to add and remove existing addresses for approximately two more months. On a yet-to-be-determined date in June, administrators will lose the ability to create new addresses in the administrative control panel, and existing custom addresses will become standalong Outlook.com accounts, using the same custom address but managed individually by signing to the Outlook.com interface.

....

With that being said, those using this option may need to be looking towards other services.

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Comments

  • Well darn. I suppose I'll have to find an alternative place to host my personal domain's email. Don't feel like messing with setting up a mailserver and dealing with all the associated stuff...

  • namhuynamhuy Member
    edited April 2014

    wtf seriously ... google, now micro$oft. Same here I do not like to play with mailserver. Anyone using something else?

  • akzakz Member

    damn that was fast.

  • Nooooo :-( I actually liked Custom Domains...

    What are the alternatives besides setting up your own mail server?

    Thanked by 1netomx
  • @mpkossen said:
    Nooooo :-( I actually liked Custom Domains...

    What are the alternatives besides setting up your own mail server?

    Zoho still has free email IIRC

  • said: Although the service no longer allows you to assign a new custom domain to Outlook.com, administrators of currently enrolled domains can continue to add and remove existing addresses for approximately two more months.

    I can't add more domain, currently list 2 domains. Anyone have the same experience ?

  • Mxroute.com

    Thanked by 1ihatetonyy
  • edited April 2014

    Well.. this sucks

    Edit: anyone got a good guide to setting up dovecot & postfix and some form of antivirus/antispoof on a vps?

  • howardsl2howardsl2 Member
    edited April 2014

    Thanks for the information OP. Sad news indeed.
    For sending emails Amazon SES is an inexpensive alternative which supports DKIM, etc., and allows sending from any address within a validated domain. They do NOT offer any receiving service though.

  • Awwh, It's time for setting up my own mailserver...

    Thank you for the info!

  • RadiRadi Host Rep, Veteran

    I'm screwed. :(

  • Namecheap offers email hosting(Open-Xchange) https://www.namecheap.com/hosting/email.aspx

    You could try it for two months for free. They are going to remove the 2 months trial offer in may.

  • DH22DH22 Member

    I am still using Google Apps free and if I ever need more users I'd probably buy a domain that has a free Google Apps account. I prefer using Google because of the Android Gmail app. I use a ton of e-mail aliases and I am not sure any other Android e-mail app does aliases well.

  • SweetSweet Member

    So... my existing domain and emails are good indefinitely? That is not that bad, for those of us with 1-2 emails in use we will still have those emails hosted. Although it seems it would be a little limited.

  • akzakz Member

    I dont like the fact how they will let you keep the account but any future modifications to accounts will be disabled.

  • FatboyFatboy Member
    edited April 2014

    With MXRoute, on the single account is there a catchall account or is it one email address and only mail with that address will get delivered?

    Couldn't see a lot on the site thats all

    EDIT Don't worry, the free accounts are sold out anyway!

  • wychwych Member

    Shame, guess I need to move to hosted mail again... after moving 50+ domains to it.

    Thanked by 1netomx
  • NDTNNDTN Member, Patron Provider, Top Host

    well it sucked, I have started moving from Google Apps to Live Domain Email when Google takes fee. Now I need to find an alternative :(

  • CakeyCakey Member

    @NDTN said:
    well it sucked, I have started moving from Google Apps to Live Domain Email when Google takes fee. Now I need to find an alternative :(

    Same :l, worst thing is that my users have to export the emails manually as I don't have access

    Thanked by 1netomx
  • Knew this was going to happen.

  • SpiritSpirit Member
    edited April 2014

    Sweet said: So... my existing domain and emails are good indefinitely? That is not that bad, for those of us with 1-2 emails in use we will still have those emails hosted. Although it seems it would be a little limited.

    If you're about to keep domain mail hosted with them maybe it wouldn't be bad to create few "generic" email accounts (like info@, support@, random@, yourrealname@...) as long it's still possible just in case of future needs?

  • manddarmanddar Member
    edited April 2014

    Early today I moved one of my custom domain mail to Yandex. Setting up mail was easy, used this link http://pdd.yandex.ru

    Difficulty with zoho is, they allow only one domain per account.

    Thanked by 1tux
  • Me_BMe_B Member

    sucks bad google didn't do it that way... Sucks bad

  • NekkiNekki Veteran

    This is unwelcome news. One of the jobs I regularly put off until tomorrow is setting up email for all my domains, now I've missed my chance :-/

  • It sucks to have smaller number of decent options to host own domain with reputable mail service for free however it will be easier for me to sell those few domains with google apps account I still have :-)

  • Welp, I've got a domain or two to move over to MXRoute.

  • PwnerPwner Member
    edited April 2014

    Leave it to Microsoft to put themselves into more hate. First they impose Windows 8 on everyone and try to kill off Windows 7 licenses (that failed and now Windows 7 is being sold again), then they terminate support for XP (though only 20% of the current XP users will actually upgrade), and now they cut off the custom domain hosting and will migrate the current accounts into Outlook.poo.

    Way to go MS, this is why people don't like buying your services anymore. You keep trying to make changes that consumers don't support, and then continue imposing those failed changes in hopes of making yourself a better company.

  • leb+zimbra=peace.....

  • rm_rm_ IPv6 Advocate, Veteran
    edited April 2014

    While I agree that using a "custom domain" mail service is the smartest option aside from hosting your own E-Mail, this just demonstrates once more how you can't rely on any third-party "cloud services". Even hosted by "reliable" giant companies like Microsoft and Google.

    manddar said: Early today I moved one of my custom domain mail to Yandex. Setting up mail was easy, used this link http://pdd.yandex.ru

    ...and then wait for Yandex also to adopt a similar change, i.e. close down the PDD or start charging for it.

    Nekki said: One of the jobs I regularly put off until tomorrow is setting up email for all my domains, now I've missed my chance :-/

    You didn't miss the chance to do it right from the get-go. Postfix and Dovecot are always there for you.

    Thanked by 1sleddog
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