# How can I get Hotmail to give me my 250 MB? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 1, 2005, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-get-hotmail-to-give-me-my-250-mb/282569 "2005-01-01T18:07:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2005, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-get-hotmail-to-give-me-my-250-mb/282569/1 "2005-01-01T18:07:18Z")
Okay, the family has a few hotmail accounts. They’re not our primary source of email, but they do serve their purposes. I have two of the damn things, Mrs. Mercotan has one, and each kid has at least one. They’re flawed, but they are convenient. I use one for my SDMB related stuff, the email is even in my profile. I’ve given up on using the other, which address is based on my actual name, because it’s constantly overwhelmed by spam. No biggie. My SDMB specific one has stayed pure as regards spam. And my SDMB specific hotmail account has also gotten full! Lots of correspondence. So it was with great joy that I read that hotmail accounts were being expanded to 250 MB of storage. I need that space! Time goes by. My original hotmail account gets expanded to 250 MB. My wife’s account does so too. So do the accounts of the kids. But not my SDMB hotmail account! It’s still stuck on 2 MB, _and trying to get anyone at Hotmail to answer my queries about this causes my blood pressure to increase_! Anyone with any insight to the situation vis a vis continuing storage upgrades from the dreaded MSN people? ---
**Author:** ![x-ray\_vision](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/x-ray_vision/32/351_2.png) [@x-ray\_vision](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/x-ray_vision)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2005, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-get-hotmail-to-give-me-my-250-mb/282569/2 "2005-01-01T18:41:59Z")
Have you recently gone more than 30 days without checking your e-mail and then had to reactivate your account? If so, it will take another thirty days before you are upgraded to 250MB. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2005, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-get-hotmail-to-give-me-my-250-mb/282569/3 "2005-01-01T18:45:20Z")
> [@x-ray vision](#): > > Have you recently gone more than 30 days without checking your e-mail and then had to reactivate your account? If so, it will take another thirty days before you are upgraded to 250MB. Nope, I check it at least 3 or 4 times a week. ---
**Author:** ![Earthling](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/90db22/32.png) [@Earthling](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earthling)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2005, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-get-hotmail-to-give-me-my-250-mb/282569/4 "2005-01-01T18:58:50Z")
How about getting a Gmail account instead? I got a bunch to give away. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2005, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-get-hotmail-to-give-me-my-250-mb/282569/5 "2005-01-01T19:09:19Z")
> [@Earthling](#): > > How about getting a Gmail account instead? I got a bunch to give away. thanks, but no thanks. The current email address is spam-free and well-distributed, and I really would prefer to not change it if possible. I just want the storage space they gave everybody else! ☹ ---
**Author:** ![x-ray\_vision](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/x-ray_vision/32/351_2.png) [@x-ray\_vision](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/x-ray_vision)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2005, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-get-hotmail-to-give-me-my-250-mb/282569/6 "2005-01-01T19:12:25Z")
From the Hotmail site: > [@](#): > > Your Hotmail account can have from 2 to 250 megabytes (MB) of storage space. > > Note: While Hotmail s currently increasing storage space for all of our users, it will take some time to upgrade everyone. I’m guessing that they’ll get to you but they’re taking their sweet time. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2005, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-get-hotmail-to-give-me-my-250-mb/282569/7 "2005-01-01T19:18:03Z")
> [@x-ray vision](#): > > I’m guessing that they’ll get to you but they’re taking their sweet time. 😃 But I want it now! Wah! Wah! Don’t they know I’m special!??? Thanks for the info, **x-ray**. ---
**Author:** ![artcramp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e9c0ed/32.png) [@artcramp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/artcramp)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2005, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-get-hotmail-to-give-me-my-250-mb/282569/8 "2005-01-01T19:31:43Z")
The official answer is that MS Hotmail hates you and thinks you cheat on your wife. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2005, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-get-hotmail-to-give-me-my-250-mb/282569/9 "2005-01-01T19:38:41Z")
I only had mine upgraded 2 or 3 weeks ago, and I’ve had it for several years. And checked it almost daily. ---
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2005, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-get-hotmail-to-give-me-my-250-mb/282569/10 "2005-01-01T19:40:49Z")
> [@Earthling](#): > > How about getting a Gmail account instead? I got a bunch to give away. What is a Gmail account? ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2005, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-get-hotmail-to-give-me-my-250-mb/282569/11 "2005-01-01T19:46:39Z")
Gmail is Google’s invitation-only webmail service. 1 gig of storage, free, and a really nice interface. I have several invites to give away, if anyone wants one. > [@artcramp](#): > > The official answer is that MS Hotmail hates you and thinks you cheat on your wife. Interestingly, my Hotmail account is full of emails from hot and horny women who appear to want to cheat on their husbands. A coincidence? I think not. ---
**Author:** ![Berkut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a88e57/32.png) [@Berkut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Berkut)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2005, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-get-hotmail-to-give-me-my-250-mb/282569/12 "2005-01-01T19:47:56Z")
[Google email](http://www.gmail.com) ---
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2005, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-get-hotmail-to-give-me-my-250-mb/282569/13 "2005-01-01T20:35:15Z")
[QUOTE=jjimm] > [@](#): > > Gmail is Google’s invitation-only webmail service. 1 gig of storage, free, and a really nice interface. I have several invites to give away, if anyone wants one. I’ll bite. How do I go about it? ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2005, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-get-hotmail-to-give-me-my-250-mb/282569/14 "2005-01-01T21:29:33Z")
> [@trandallt](#): > > I’ll bite. How do I go about it? I’ll mail you. ---
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2005, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-get-hotmail-to-give-me-my-250-mb/282569/15 "2005-01-01T21:43:22Z")
> [@jjimm](#): > > I’ll mail you. Got it. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![akifani](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7ba0ec/32.png) [@akifani](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/akifani)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2005, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-get-hotmail-to-give-me-my-250-mb/282569/16 "2005-01-01T21:48:11Z")
I’ve had hotmail for 8 years now and I still have not gotten my 250 Mb. I also have a gmail account now (and more invites than I know what to do with) ---
**Author:** ![spinky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@spinky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spinky)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2005, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-get-hotmail-to-give-me-my-250-mb/282569/17 "2005-01-01T22:05:11Z")
I read somewhere that hotmail accounts are divided up by region (based on what I don’t know, but maybe where you said you live when you signed up, if you filled out that part), and that the quota upgrades are happening first for their primary region(s), such as North America. I think I arbitrarily told them I live in India on one of my accounts once, so maybe you did the same thing…