I have been very happy with Hotmail. I use it for everything but my personal emails which I have an icloud address for.

I wanted to avoid the big US ones (gmail, yahoo, hotmail, icloud, outlook), so I looked to foreign email providers, and they all have free accounts depending on your volume. I have accounts at Zoho and Runbox, and I'm happy with both of them.

I use yahoo

I like both Yahoo and Hotmail. If you don't want to deal with the old Yahoo mail, create a new account. Or go in to the old one and delete everything so you have a blank slate. I also have Gmail, but don't really care for it, either.

I use gmail. I have an account for bills only (my initials plus .bills, ie: xyz.bills@gmail.com); I have one for my crafts, one for "real use," and two for times I'm unsure but could be (probably will be) spam.

The "real" account is family, close friends, my doctor. Things like that.

I use Hotmail for the email that's not very personal (shopping, entertainment listings, etc.) I sometimes wonder what happens to old emails that I no longer use. Haven't opened my Yahoo account in about 20 years. I don't even know the password. Also, what happens to email accounts of people after they die?

Also, what happens to email accounts of people after they die?

With gmail, Google has an 'Inactive Account Manager', where you can designate a time period after the account has become inactive, and then (after trying to contact you a number of times) they'll contact your designated people who can delete or otherwise take care of the account. https://support.google.com/accounts/answer/3036546?hl=en

I use yahoo and dont like it. It’s attached to too many accounts, etc to change it now.

I have 4: Gmail, Hotmail, Yahoo & a Roadrunner account. I use Hotmail for work and Gmail for personal correspondence, Yahoo is just so I can get into my Flickr account, and Roadrunner is a legacy of my old service provider - both contain nothing but spam now, but I do check occasionally to clean out the inboxes and in case there might be any legit stuff, since rr.com used to be the address I used for personal stuff.

I like Hotmail for its junk mail filter and being able to pin items at the top. I do use the filing/folder/archiving systems available on both Hotmail & Gmail.

Same as Annie. I got tired of having an account tied to my internet provider, and having to change every time I changed providers. I've never had a problem with Gmail, and spam very rarely gets through their filter, which makes me happy.

Gmail and yahoo.

Gmail for "real" email, Yahoo for the subscriptions & throw away stuff.

I had a hotmail for years, still do, but seldom access it anymore. I hate Hotmail.

I’m purely on my iphone. My main email is yahoo, secondary gmail account. I hate the gmail app, yahoo is fine. Both accounts are set up on the phone’s mail app for when I get annoyed at the other two.

I have three email address, that I use for different purposes.

Outlook, Google, and Yahoo. I don't have a preference.

FWIW, I don't much like using any email on my phone, it's always more cumbersome than using it on my computer, IMPE.

I used email accounts provided by my various ISPs for years, until they've all now dropped their own email service ... which I understand why. I worked for an ISP for nine years when dial-up was still the primary access. Email service is the worst for maintenance, even then when the spam load was just getting started.

I've had a couple throwaway Yahoo accounts for some years that I didn't want to use for legitimate personal email so I set up two GMail accounts. I *never* use web-based mail access as the primary method for my email so that user interface design is of no consequence to me. I've used Mozilla Thunderbird for years and *always* download my mail for permanent storage on my computer, which can be backed-up and moved to the next computer when the current one fails or need to be replaced. I have more than 20 years of messages saved from use of numerous different email addresses.

Hotmail is my favorite, I like the setup but I also use gmail. I’m slowly eliminating xFinity.

I don't think there are significant differences from one to the other. I have a few at yahoo - one is for sites like this, the other my former main address that I moved on from 15 years ago. Otherwise, Gmail. Gmail seems to have historically done a better job screening out garbage messages, Yahoo. less so. Otherwise, an email provider is an email provider.

I prefer Gmail's smartphone app to Yahoo's.

Perhaps user error, but as is I can’t imagine what’s to prefer on gmail’s app over yahoo’s. I don’t do much on email, I simply read and delete emails. And both, gmail has managed to make a nuisance:

Reading: They take it upon themselves to decide what folder to send the email to. Primary, social, or promotions. And where they’re sent is not consistent. I’ve found no way to just see ALL my emails without their “help”.

Deleting: I’ve found no way to delete emails in bulk. For example, if I get a lot of emails from some company or service, I can search for them and get a listing, but I’ve found no way to delete them other than to swipe each individually. Can’t “select all” and delete.

I’d happily welcome solutions to either. Short of both being resolved, my opinion stands.

Yahoo mail intersperses mail messages with ads and images which, when using the Y app on a smartphone, clutters the screen and makes it harder to read. Yes I know that browser access image does the same.

If I hadn't moved away from Yahoo as my primary email home years ago (because of erratic service, too many garbage messages not filtered off back then), their ad displays would have been yet another reason to do so.

FOAS, make sure you have the left panel open in gmail - click on ☰ if the panel is not open, and then you will be able to click on "All Mail". I have this option saved as a bookmark so that when I open gmail, this is what it goes to.

My oldest email account that I still have is Yahoo, but I don't like it as much as I used to but have to keep it because it is what I use for all of the utility companies. I like the folders and the filing system, which is easy to use, and I use this for filing receipts and registration information from companies.

I have a Hotmail account that I like because only mail from senders who are in my address book will be in my inbox - all else goes to the junk mail folder. I use Hotmail for sources that I think might send me junk, but I also like the folders and filing system.

I have never figured out gmail's filing system - I do not know how to create folders or how to store mail in folders that I have created. Much of it is not intuitive, and I find it difficult to navigate. I do like its address book the best, and that is why I use it the most, but the filing system is horrible.

When I want to delete multiple emails at the same time, I sort them in a way that they will show up together and then select the first one to delete, and then I select the last one while holding down the Ctrl key, and then multiples get selected, but they have to be on the same page. This works very well on a PC - I do not know how to use any Apple products, as I do not have any.

Addendum.

On Gmail, emails can be deleted 100 at a time on a PC. Call up the page you want, click the box at the top (to select all), and then touch Delete. It may be that you can move ahead to other pages and add them to the group to be deleted. I don't use that much, I delete what doesn't need to be kept as they come in

Reading - I just have the general folder. Since I don't retain many emails, I don't need to waste time thinking about arranging them in folders. When I need to find something from the past, I do a keyword search.

Elmer - I have one banner ad always in the same place on my yahoo screen. Gmail, I have multiple ads posing as emails. Yes they’re labeled as ads, but not as obvious.

Lars, I don’t see the All option. By mentioning “bookmark” it sounds like you’re referring to browser version?

FOAS, yes, I do not read email on my phone, and so I was referring to the browser version. The point of email instead of texting is that I can use a keyboard. I hate typing on a phone.

" I don't think there are significant differences from one to the other. "

There are significant security differences between email providers, which may or may not matter to someone, as well as differences in things like storage space and attachment number (and size). Those things may not matter to a person using it only for keeping in touch with family and online stores, but it might make a big difference to those who are needing more space and size (whether for personal or business use).

Does anyone pay for email service???? Is there such a thing? Elmer google it.

Ugh, I'd almost forgotten that Gmail didn't always have those stupid ad emails - and at first they used to be only at the top of the list - now they're scattered throughout, which is annoying, since I'm not interested in ANY of them and they're very repetitious. Hotmail does it too, but only 2, and only at the top of the list - I just ignore them

I agree Outlook/Hotmail is way better at filtering the junk.

And FWIW, I use the labels and folders in Gmail - it's the little tag icon at the top - and the icons only show up when you select a piece of mail.

I do know you can also configure Gmail to automatically filter things to a designated folder as they come in, but I don't use that feature, since I'm not sure I might miss stuff.

There are plenty of tutorials on how to utilize these helpful features. Here's a pic of Gmail's labels I found on the web:

As you can see, the option to create a new label is in the sidebar as well as at the top

Those GMail labels and subfolders can be controlled to an extent in the account settings. I have Drafts, Sent Mail, All Mail, Spam, Trash, Important, and Starred active (they appear in Thunderbird via IMAP. Important and Starred aren't useful to me, I need to investigate if they can be disabled. I never leave messages on GMail's server for long-term storage. I immediately upon checking mail move them to local folders in Thunderbird (which leaves them in the All Mail folder at GMail), then immediately delete them from there which moves them to GMail/Trash, then I immediately delete them from Trash. Quick ongoing housekeeping so GMail is always purged (vs. one of my sisters who never does email housekeeping and has been getting warnings from GMail that server storage space is near maximum so now she has no choice).

I have two Yahoos, three GMails set up in Thunderbird. No need to log-in/log-out of them individually at the respective web portals, they're all in Thunderbird which immediately updates on the server-side folder contents when I open it, and immediately reflects when a new message arrives for the duration while it is open. Thunderbird has onboard spam detection which further learns what an individual user considers spam material via the user tagging/untagging mistake detections. Individual accounts set up in T'bird can be configured to divert detected spam to a single Spam folder, or variously individual Spam folders on the respective accounts. I don't want ANY server-side spam detection so as to insure that nothing is missed/mistakenly deleted from a new contact, ALL messages come in to T'bird for convenient review.

I never see advertisements in Yahoo or GMail messages when viewing them in Thunderbird. T'bird by default blocks remote content (fed into the message from "foreign" servers) to help avoid sender/advertiser tracking. Each message when viewed has an option whether to display remote content, with a pick-list that identifies the server/URL from where the content is sourced to select/display them individually, a choice to show all of it, and a choice to always allow remote content from all sources in future messages from that sender.

"“There are significant security differences between email providers”

Examples? Sources? Or, just having a slow day?"

Sure - none of the most common services (gmail, yahoo, hotmail, for example) provide end-to-end encryption as their default, which is a much more secure way to send email, though gmail has a toggle switch that you can find and turn on. They also scan emails in order to better target advertisements and scans your cookies, etc. This https://greycoder.com/private-email-providers/ was written in 2021, so it's not entirely up to date (for instance, gmail now offers a switch to turn on end-to-end encryption if you wish).

Yes, there certainly are email services that aren't free, but they're mostly used by people and companies with particular security or space needs. Many companies offer free and paid tiers, depending on your needs.

I'll bet I'm the only person here to have AOL. When I first got my computer in 1997 or 98 I had Juno. I don't know if that even exists now. But for many years I had Verizon which is what my email addy still is but Verizon turned over to AOL and that's what I use and like.

" none of the most common services (gmail, yahoo, hotmail, for example) provide end-to-end encryption as their default "

What happens if someone using an encrypted email client sends a message to someone who doesn't?

What's the nature of messages you send and receive that make you believe encryption is required or, more pointedly, that not using encyrption is a problem?

" Is there such a thing? Elmer google it. "

If this comment suggests that you think that the reason why the breadth and depth of information I know and understand, compared to you, comes from internet searches, I'm pretty confident in saying that that's not why.

" What's the nature of messages you send and receive that make you believe encryption is required or, more pointedly, that not using encyrption is a problem? "

It's not all about you, or me. Every user is different, and they have different needs and wants......You said they were all the same, and I showed you how they are not all the same. It might not matter to you, but it might matter to someone else.

" I'll bet I'm the only person here to have AOL. "

My sister-in-law uses AOL, and I thought she was the only one, LOL!

No, I have been using AOL exclusively since the beginning of my computer days--works great.

carolb_w_fl_coastal_9b, Thanks for help on understanding gmail's filing system. It appears that they use "labels" instead of "folders," and so I did start labeling a lot of my emails. This will take a bit of getting used to, but it appears to be mainly semantics.

You're welcome 🙂

You can label items without moving them to a folder - which is sort of like adding a tag.

And I think encryption is important if you're exchanging sensitive info with someone.

My sister has had 2 AOL accounts for years, but I think she now uses gmail more than AOL.

I didn't realize that AOL was still around. That was my first Internet dial up, I believe. That was a while ago :)

I have had gmail since practically their day one. A friend signed me up for it...so my email address is simply my name @ gmail. I neither love nor hate it. It just is.

My main email is a free msn dot com (Outlook) account, which was my only email for many years. I added a gmail account to use for things like posting on craigslist, or signing up for something that I don't want to be plagued with in my main email- in other words, nothing vital is lost if the account needs to be closed for some reason.

. Gmail is okay, but I do prefer the functionality of Outlook - perhaps because I am used to it - I really like being able to pin messages to the top, being able to report phishing or block a spammer without having to open the email (a serious flaw in gmail, IMO). A feature that I was unaware of until recently was the ability to set up the account so that any email that wasn't in my safe sender's list goes to the junk folder - from there I can mark it as not junk and add it to the safe list. It only takes a minute to look at the junk folder when I see that there is something in it. I can also make a rule that any email with a certain phrase in the "from" or the body of the email goes straight to trash.

There are ads, since it is the free version - but my adblocker blocks them.

My two main emails are outlook/Hotmail and Gmail. I have others rarely used now. Quit using yahoo a long time ago.

I used to have multiple Yahoo email accounts back when Yahoo clubs and IM were popular in the early 2000s. I had German, Italian, and French accounts (*.de, *.it, and *.fr), and I decided to pretend to be a woman (Thérèse D'Extase) for my French Yahoo profile, and she was also a dominatrix. Unfortunately, this attracted too many friend requests from men in Switzerland and France.

I did have a fair number of friends through my German and Italian profiles, but I did get tired of chatting in German and Italian (sometimes at the same time), although I did find it good practice for switching between languages at the drop of a hat - something that I am not the best at doing. I had a long chat in German once through one of the German Yahoo groups only to find out that he was in Los Angeles and American.

I lost interest in Yahoo after they stopped supporting clubs. My brother and I had a club called "Venice Beach Bros" and we did meet a few local people through that club, including Bathtub Girl, who used to have podcasts from her bathtub in Venice, just a few blocks from our house.

After a while, I found the Yahoo popup IMs to get annoying.

At that time I was also doing web design and hosting, and I managed POP email accounts for our clients. I really prefer this time of email to the free email, partly because it allowed me to save emails on hard drives.