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Microsoft adds alias sign-in, international domains to Outlook.com

More new features are coming to Microsoft's Outlook.com Web mail service, including support for alias sign-in, as well as for new international domain-specific email addresses.
Written by Mary Jo Foley, Senior Contributing Editor

Microsoft's Outlook.com team is adding more features to the company's Hotmail successor.

aliases

On top of the just-announced two-factor authentication coming to Outlook.com and other Microsoft software and services, announced on April 17, Microsoft is adding an alias sign-in capability to Outlook.com.

From a post on the Microsoft Outlook blog:

"Many of you have added an email alias to your account, but you can't use the alias to sign in to your account. Previously the only option was to permanently rename your account, which is a hassle and requires you to reset certain devices.

"With this release, you can now sign in with any alias that has been added to your account. We've also simplified the experience of adding and managing aliases, with better advice on when you should add an alias vs. renaming your primary alias."

From the blog post, it sounds like this capability will be phased in over the next couple of days. Users will be able to set up and manage aliases on the Microsoft Account page.

Microsoft also is enabling users who want to have their @outlook addresses connected with their countries be able to take advantage of newly added international domains.

Over the next few days, Microsoft will be adding support for users who want domains such as outlook.de or outlook.com.au. A full list of the coming international domains is available here.

As Neowin.net notes, the Outlook team really has stepped up its delivery game lately. Instead of waiting for months, if not years, to roll out new features, the team -- like a growing number of others at Microsoft -- is speeding up the update pace. Neowin also hints that there may be more Windows servicesupdates coming in the next couple of weeks.

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