 | |
 Screenshot ofWindows Live Home, which served as a central location to access all Windows Live services | |
Type of site | Software plus services (Web applications) |
|---|---|
| Owner | Microsoft |
| URL | Archived official website at theWayback Machine (archive index) |
| Commercial | No |
| Registration | Required |
| Users | 330 million |
| Launched | November 1, 2005 (2005-11-01) |
| Current status | Closed |
Content license | Proprietary |
Windows Live is a discontinued brand name for a set of web services andsoftware products developed byMicrosoft as part of itssoftware-as-a-service platform. Chief components under the brand name included web services (all of which were exposed through correspondingweb applications), several computer programs that interact with the services, andspecialized web services for mobile devices.[1]
According to Microsoft, Windows Live was "a way to extend theWindowsuser experience".[2] As such,Windows Vista's welcome screen provides a link to downloadWindows Live Messenger or to subscribe toWindows Live OneCare. Also,Windows Mail,Windows Photo Gallery andWindows Movie Maker were not offered withWindows 7 and became an exclusive part of Windows Live.[3] Microsoft announced thatWindows 8 would have Windows Live apps includedout-of-the-box, and would include built-in synchronization technologies powered byOneDrive (then SkyDrive).[4] The Windows Live brand was phased out during August 2012, when Microsoftreleased Windows 8 to manufacturing. Active Windows Live services remained active but were gradually renamed. The "live.com" domain, however, continues to be used in theURLs forOutlook,OneDrive, and the Login and Signup pages.
Windows Live was first announced on November 1, 2005. In its initial release, several Windows Live properties were rebranded and enhanced from Microsoft'sMSN set of products and services. However, MSN still exists alongside Windows Live as a means of delivering content (as opposed to customized content and communications).[5] In May 2012 Microsoft began renaming Windows Live services, partly in anticipation of Windows 8, which integrates many of the Windows Live products and services into the operating system.[6]
The following services were once part of Windows Live but are still online.[7] Outlook.com and OneDrive still use the "Live" branding in the URL even though the brand name is dropped.
The usage of the Live.com domain was later extended to consumer versions ofMicrosoft Teams,Microsoft To Do, Microsoft Lists, to distinguish them from the enterprise versions.
| Previous Name | Description | Later renamed to | Website |
|---|---|---|---|
| ID | Providessingle sign-on service, allowing users to log into various Microsoft products and services with the same credentials. Users can manage their accounts and link multiple IDs together using this service. | Microsoft account | account |
| Profile | Allow users to manage their profile information and displays information about the particular user, their recent activities, and their relationship with other Windows Live users. | ||
| Hotmail | Freewebmail service usingAJAX technology | Outlook.com | outlook |
| Calendar | Calendaring web app that allow users to organize appointments, schedule meetings, set reminders, and share their calendar events. | ||
| People | Anaddress book service, which allows users to keep track and synchronize their contact's information. Allow users to add contacts from other social networks includingFacebook,Twitter,LinkedIn,Google,Flickr and soonSina Weibo andSkype to their Microsoft account. | ||
| SkyDrive | Password-protectedfile hosting service. Enablesfile sharing andcontent synchronization. Can preview images,Microsoft Office documents andZIP files. Integrates tightly withOffice Web Apps andOutlook.com to serve as an online storage for their needs. | Microsoft OneDrive | onedrive |
| — | Note-taking software designed for free-form information gathering and multi-user collaboration. It gathers users' notes, drawings, screen clippings, and audio commentaries, and notes can also be shared with other OneNote users over the Internet or a network. | Microsoft OneNote | |
| — | Business communication platform offering workspace chat and videoconferencing, file storage, and application integration. | Microsoft Teams | teams |
| — | Cloud-based task management application that allows users to manage their tasks from a smartphone, tablet and computer. | Microsoft To Do | to-do |
| — | Allows users to create, share, and track data inside lists. | Microsoft Lists | lists |
My Windows Phone was a free online companion service forWindows Phone mobile devices that provided users with a free mobile phone back-up solution by wirelessly synchronizing contacts, calendar appointments, photos, andOneNote notebooks with a password-protected online portal. Users could access and manage their information stored on their Windows Phone devices via the online portal using theirMicrosoft account, as well as accessing a set of features for remotely ringing, locking, mapping, and erasing their lost phones. This service integrated tightly with other Windows Live services includingHotmail.com People and Calendar, andSkyDrive.[8]
Microsoft released aWindows Live Messenger application on theiOSApp Store, which allowed users on mobile devices runningiOS to communicate with their contacts via theMicrosoft Messenger service. In addition to the instant messaging functionalities, the application also allowed users to view their Messenger social feed, view their friend'sProfiles, and integrate withHotmail andPhotos.
Windows Live also provided customized services specifically created forfeature phones. It was offered via three channels — through Client-based (forWindows Mobile and other supported mobile devices such asNokia phones), Web-based (forWAP orGPRS-enabled mobile web browsers), orSMS-based services.[9]
| Mobile Service | Offered through | Exchange ActiveSync support? | Description | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Client | Web | SMS | |||
| Calendar Mobile | Yes | Yes | Yes | Web-based version ofCalendar designed for mobile devices to view, schedule and manage calendar appointments and events. SMS service for users to query today and tomorrow's appointments in their calendar | |
| People Mobile | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Web-based version ofPeople designed for mobile devices for access to contact information. Client-based version allows integration of the contact list with the mobile device's address book. Also allow users to query contact information via SMS |
| Groups Mobile | Yes | Web-based version ofLive Groups designed for mobile devices | |||
| Hotmail Mobile | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Web- and client-based version ofHotmail that targets mobile devices, and allow new email alerts via SMS |
| Messenger Mobile | Yes | Yes | Yes | Web- and client-based version ofWindows Live Messenger that is designed for mobile devices, and allow users to send instant messages via SMS | |
| Profile Mobile | Yes | View and update user's ownWindows Live Profile information using a mobile device | |||
| SkyDrive Mobile | Yes | Yes | Web-based version ofSkyDrive designed for mobile devices for accessing documents stored on the cloud. Client-based version allows upload of photos directly from a mobile phone camera. | ||
Microsoft Bing, a replacement of the search engineLive Search, was originally namedWindows Live Search (andMSN Search prior to that) and was once part of the Windows Live family of services. Windows Live Search once occupied the homepage of Live.com, the domain for all Windows Live services. However, on March 21, 2007, Microsoft decided to separate its search developments from its Windows Live services family, forming part of theLive Search and Ad Platform. As part of this reorganization, the new search brand,Live Search, was consolidated withMicrosoft adCenter, a part of Microsoft's Platform and Systems division.[10] However, Microsoft recognised that there was a brand issue as the word "Live" continued to remain in the brand.[11] As an effort to create a new identity for Microsoft's search services, on June 3, 2009, Live Search was officially rebranded asBing.[12]
Live Connect is a collection of APIs and common controls that allow developers to have a deeper control and offers access to the core Windows Live services and data through open and easily accessibleapplication programming interfaces (APIs). Live Connect is built on standard web technologies such as OAuth 2.0, Representational State Transfer (REST), and JavaScript Object Notation (JSON), and is designed to work with any technology or device. Live Connect unites the previously separate APIs of Windows Live into a single API that is based on industry standards and specifications.
| Name | Description | Replaced By | Discontinued Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Enabled users with domain names to change their domain MX record(s) (mail server records) so that all features of Outlook.com will be available on their own domain names. | Microsoft Office 365 | 10 April 2014 | |
| Agents | Interactive chatterbots throughWindows Live Messenger that allowed users to get more information about specific topics. | — | 30 June 2009 |
| Alerts | Sent information updates to the user's email inbox, mobile device or Messenger. | — | 30 September 2010 |
| Barcode | 2D barcodes that can be used to store information or link to the mobile web. | Microsoft Tag | Never launched |
| Call | Allowed users to makePC-to-PC and PC-to-Phone voice and video calls. | Skype | 1 June 2010 |
| Devices | An online device management service that allowed users to centrally access and manage the synchronisation of files stored on their computers and mobile devices. Also allowed users to remotely access their computers from the internet via their web browser. | Integration intoOneDrive | ? |
| Events | Enables managing and planning different types of events and share them with others usingCalendar,Spaces andAlerts. | Windows Live Groups (now discontinued) Calendar | 3 September 2009 |
| Expo | Allowed users to post online classifieds and search for listings posted by other users. | — | 31 July 2008 |
| Favorites | Synchronized the user's favorites between computers and allows for the sharing of favorites. | OneDrive | 14 April 2009 |
| FrameIt | Extended the functionality of digital photo frame devices, allowing users to customise the content delivery from multiple sources such as RSS feeds. | — | 15 December 2010 |
| Gallery | A center for collections of developers' add-ons forWindows Live Messenger,Photo Gallery,Movie Maker,Writer,Toolbar,Spaces, and Live.com, as well asWindows Vista Sidebar andSideShow gadgets. | Windows Live Plug-ins (Discontinued) | 1 October 2011 |
| Groups | Enabled users to create their social groups for sharing, discussion and coordination. | Integration intoOneDrive | ? |
| Home | Provided a central location to access Windows Live services, monitor status information, and navigate to other Windows Live sites and services. | — | 18 February 2013 |
| Help Community | Collection of forums and message boards that allowed communication with other users of Windows Live products. | Microsoft Answers | 6 June 2008 |
| Mesh | File sharing and synchronization service based on FolderShare and Live Mesh technologies. Supported PC-to-PC and PC-to-Cloud synchronisation, and synchronisation of program settings such asInternet Explorer andMicrosoft Office between multiple computers. Also allowed users to remotely access their computers via the internet. | OneDrive | 2012 |
| Office Live Workspace | Offered 5GB of storage space for storingMicrosoft Office Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook documents and lists online and sharing them with others. Office Live Workspace did not offer collaboration or editing capabilities however. | Office Online | 21 January 2011 |
| OneCare Safety Scanner | Free PC scanning and health service to help delete viruses and other threats. Included aregistry cleaner,disk cleaner anddefragmenter, network open port scanner, and comprehensive virus and spyware scanner. | Microsoft Safety Scanner | 15 April 2011 |
| Personalized Experience | An all-in-one home page featuring a customisable RSS aggregator, gadgets and search tools. | My MSN | 30 March 2010 |
| Plug-ins[13] | A central repository for collections of developer plug-ins forWindows Photo Gallery,Windows Movie Maker, andWindows Live Writer. | — | ? |
| QnA | A question and answer service which allowed users to ask questions, tag them according to topic, and gain points and reputation for answering other users' questions. | MSN QnA (now discontinued) | 21 May 2009 |
| Search Center | A desktop search program which provided a unified local and remote indexed search from a unified interface. | Windows Search 4 (now part ofWindows Vista andWindows 7) | 12 December 2006 |
| Shopping | An online shopping comparison website which allowed users to compare items and prices of over 40 million products from more than 7000 online stores. | Bing Shopping (now discontinued) | 20 February 2007 |
| Spaces | A blog and social networking service which allowed users to create personalized blogs, add friends, and upload photos. | Migration toWordPress or Sina blogs in China | 16 March 2011 |
| Sync andLive Mesh | File synchronization which allowed files and folders between two or more computers be in sync with each other or with thecloud storage on the web. Live Mesh also enabled remote desktop access via the internet using a web browser. | OneDrive | 31 March 2011 |
| TV | An additional program forWindows Media Center which provided access toWindows Live Spaces,Messenger, andCall on large-screen monitors or TVs. | — | 24 June 2008 |
| Video Messages | Combined digital video with e-mail into a service that allowed all webcam users to create, send, and receive video messages to anyone in their contact list, even when they are offline. | Skype | 21 July 2010 |
| Web Messenger | Online version ofWindows Live Messenger which allowed users to talk online and in real-time with others from within a web browser. | Integration into all services | 30 October 2008 |
| WiFi Center | Allowed users to search for wireless networks that are available and displays information about them. | — | 16 February 2007 |
| WiFi Hotspot Locator | A website which allowed users to locate wireless internet hotspots worldwide and view their positions on a map usingBing Maps. | MSN WiFi Hotspots (now discontinued) | 16 February 2007 |
Microsoft has released several computer programs with "Windows Live" brand, a summary of which is included below. All exceptWindows Live OneCare arefreeware and published in asoftware suite calledWindows Essentials (formerly Windows Live Essentials). Essentials programs are designed to integrate well with each other, withinWindows, and with other Windows Live services such asOneDrive andOutlook.com.[14] Windows Live OneCare on the other hand, was a commercial consumersutility marketed with asoftware as a service licensing model.
| Service | Description | Fate |
|---|---|---|
| Family Safety | Parental controls similar toWindows Vista's Parental Controls feature | Integrated intoWindows 8 and later[7] |
| Desktop mail and calendar client designed to succeedOutlook Express onWindows XP andWindows Mail on Windows Vista, with fullRSS support | Integrated intoWindows 8 and later[7] | |
| Movie Maker | Avideo editing program for consumers | Discontinued, most functionality integrated into Photos app, a feature which was called Windows Story Remix (later Video Editor) |
| Messenger | Instant messaging app | Replaced bySkype |
| Messenger Companion | An add-in forInternet Explorer that allows users to share a webpage with their friends on Windows Live, see links to webpages the user's friends have shared and comment on these shared pages. | Discontinued |
| OneCare | A suite of computer security programs withantivirus program,backup utility, and apersonal firewall. | Discontinued; functionality is partially offered byMicrosoft Security Essentials,Windows Defender,System Center Endpoint Protection,Windows Backup andWindows Firewall. |
| Toolbar | A toolbar plug-in forWindows Internet Explorer, which allows quick access to a user'sWindows Live Spaces,Hotmail,Favorites andLive Search from a button on the toolbar. | Replaced byBing Desktop andBing Bar |
| Photo Gallery | Image organizer that makes posting photos to SkyDrive andFacebook easier | Discontinued; functionality is partially offered by Photos app inWindows 10, andOneDrive app. |
| Writer | Desktop blog publishing tool that can publish to popular blogging services and make use ofSkyDrive for photo storage. | Discontinued; open sourced asOpen Live Writer in late 2015. |
TheWindows Live Butterfly awards program (formerly theMSN Butterfly program) was a program whose members were given the benefit of new Microsoft software to test before the beta releases went public and they were in direct contact with the program managers for Windows Live products.
Microsoft had initiated the Windows Live Butterfly program in order to recognize the contributions made by exemplary beta testers. Prospective 'butterflies' were selected by the Windows Live product team and were nominated for a term of one year, after which they could be renominated.[15]
The Windows Live Butterfly program was closed in June 2009.
All Windows Live websites sported a common theme. Different themes have been used on the sites with each phase of product release, called "Waves". Each Wave had a set of online services and desktop programs (Windows Essentials). The web services are labelled by each Wave, for example,Hotmail Wave 4. The programs from Windows Essentials are usually called by a year number, for example,Windows Live Messenger 2011. The design of the themes highly resemble the themes ofWindows Aero.
Most original Windows Live applications and services used a visual theme known asBlue Vapor orFlair. The header consisted of a turquoise blue gradient that softly fades to white downward, with bright, curved, energy lines inside to create depth.
One can click on the silver orb at the left of the header to access every Windows Live service from adrop-down list. The header also contained a search bar forWindows Live Search.
With the public release of theWindows Live Wave 2 Suite,[16] a new visual theme was released to resembleWindows Vista’s theme,Aero.[17] The header is especially reminiscent ofFile Explorer’s command bar in Windows Vista, and the silver orb’s drop-down menu is themed off of Windows Vista’scontext menu.
The header’s navigation menu left of the search bar contained shortcuts to four services. From left to right:Windows Live Home;Windows Live Hotmail;Windows Live Spaces; andWindows Live OneCare.
Windows Live received a complete overhaul as Microsoft released a set of new themes for their Windows Live Wave 3 services, which allows users to customize their pages on Windows Live using a set of predetermined background pictures. Several of these themes are dynamic and change according to the time of day and the current weather condition of the user.[18]
The default header theme is a bright sky blue that fades to white downwards, with energy lines inside to create depth. In addition, The header’s navigation menu was reorganized to include the following services, from left to right:Windows Live Home;Profile;People;Hotmail; andPhotos. The silver orb from previous designs was also replaced by the More andMSNdrop-down lists.
In addition to the themes provided in Windows Live Wave 3, the release of Windows Live Wave 4 provided additional themes for users to customize their pages on Windows Live, with several dynamic themes that changes according to the time of day and weather conditions at the user's location. Several of these newly added themes are similar to wallpapers originating fromWindows 7.[19]
In addition, the Windows Live Wave 4 header features a reorganized dynamic navigation menu that displayed the number of the user's current online contacts and the number of unread e-mails,[20] as well as an in-builtWindows Live Web Messenger service allowing users to connect to theMicrosoft Messenger service andFacebook chat service to chat with their online contacts while browsing any Windows Live properties using a web browser.[21] From left to right, the dynamic navigation menu contains:Hotmail;Windows Live Web Messenger;Office Web Apps; andPhotos.
In addition to Windows Live, which is mainly aimed at individuals,[5] Microsoft brands other properties as "Live", including:
