Windows Live Mail 2011 Privacy Issue

Hi does anyone know if Windows Live Mail 2011 stores all our emails in a Microsoft Server? Like is it web-based or is it just purely a desktop email client like Thunderbird?

I'm hearing all sorts of things about it like all our emails are being stored somewhere in a MS server as well as in our computer.

For example, if I use a gmail account with WLM 2011, when it loads all my emails from the gmail account into WLM 2011, does it also store a copy of those emails in an MS Server somewhere in the world, or is that mail only stored on my computer like thunderbird or outlook?

This is a serious issue as WLM 2011 looks good but I'm reluctant to use it if all my messages from my other emails (say yahoo, gmail, sympatico etc....) gets store in an MS server - this is a serious privacy issue, I'm hearing all sorts of things.

Here's a site that talks about WLM has gone "cloud-based":
Windows Live Mail versus Windows Mail « How-To Geek Forums

especially when it says:

"Windows Live Mail has taken your program 'into the cloud'. That means it is a webbased application.So the emails you've send, your concepts and your received mail are stored on a Microsoft server."

Also this skydrive issue, I hear WLM 2011 come bundled with skydrive and there's nothing you can do, that means all the photos you send gets stored in a skydrive server of MS. Does the emails also get stored in a server of MS.

This is really scary if that's the case. Perhaps you guys know the answer.

Windows7UserAsk said:

Hi does anyone know if Windows Live Mail 2011 stores all our emails in a Microsoft Server? Like is it web-based or is it just purely a desktop email client like Thunderbird?

I'm hearing all sorts of things about it like all our emails are being stored somewhere in a MS server as well as in our computer.

For example, if I use a gmail account with WLM 2011, when it loads all my emails from the gmail account into WLM 2011, does it also store a copy of those emails in an MS Server somewhere in the world, or is that mail only stored on my computer like thunderbird or outlook?

I think the short answer is NO! But there is a caveat. If you do not link your WLM 2011 (the desktop client) to Windows Live Mail (Hotmail) there MS does not and cannot upload your emails to the cloud (on their servers). Thus, for example, if you use Gmail and use WLM 2011 (the email client) to access it, then Windows does not store it on their servers (depending on how you set up Gmail and WLM 2011), Google does.

Essentially, WLM 2011 stores your mails on your machine.

Does this help?

So if I don't use a hotmail account in WLM 2011 (which means I have not signed up for a skydrive account) I can use gmail without storing my mails in MS servers so long as I do set it up in a certain way, but how do I set it up that way? Is there a specific way to set up a gmail/other accounts (other than hotmail) in WLM 2011 so that it only stores in my computer and not an MS server? How do you do that?

Windows7UserAsk said:

So if I don't use a hotmail account in WLM 2011 (which means I have not signed up for a skydrive account) I can use gmail without storing my mails in MS servers so long as I do set it up in a certain way, but how do I set it up that way? Is there a specific way to set up a gmail/other accounts (other than hotmail) in WLM 2011 so that it only stores in my computer and not an MS server? How do you do that?

I don't think there is any "special" way to set up WLM 2011 with Gmail. It seems to work out the setting pretty much by itself. So, yes, if you don't link it to Live Mail, then your data will not be uploaded to any MS server.

I should also mention that even if you had a Windows Live Hotmail account in addition to your Gmail account, you can have both accessed by WLM 2011 but neither will access each other (unless you set them up to do so through their repsective web interfaces).

Does this help?

Cheers!

Edit: There are somethings you should be aware of. In WLM 2011, there is something called "Photo Album". It shows up in the Ribbon when you create a new email. Apparently, that has a connection to the web-based photo feature of Windows Live and is somehow linked/ synced by Live Mesh to Windows Skydrive. Personally, I don't use it. I always use the "attach file" method to send photos (which is very rare in my case).

Here's a site that talks about WLM has gone "cloud-based":
Windows Live Mail versus Windows Mail « How-To Geek Forums

especially when it says:

"Windows Live Mail has taken your program 'into the cloud'. That means it is a webbased application.So the emails you've send, your concepts and your received mail are stored on a Microsoft server."

I just re-read the link you provided and I think the Windows Live Mail that they are referring to is the Hotmail stuff and not the client. This is seriously becoming a problem because WLM can mean (1) Windows Live Mail (Hotmail); (2) Windows Live Mail desktop client; (3) Windows Live Messenger.

I really wish MS would put some thought into how they designated their products.

Yes thank you so much it does help a lot, just have one question i'm uncleared about, what do you mean by

"if you don't link it to live mail"

how can I be sure that I have not linked my mails to 'live mail'?

Windows7UserAsk said:

So if I don't use a hotmail account in WLM 2011 (which means I have not signed up for a skydrive account) I can use gmail without storing my mails in MS servers so long as I do set it up in a certain way, but how do I set it up that way? Is there a specific way to set up a gmail/other accounts (other than hotmail) in WLM 2011 so that it only stores in my computer and not an MS server? How do you do that?

In WLM the easist way is to have your incoming mail as pop3. Then go to email accounts click on default account then click properties then click on the advanced tab in the window that opens and you should have this



Check or uncheck leave mail on server hope this helps.

Windows7UserAsk said:

Yes thank you so much it does help a lot, just have one question i'm uncleared about, what do you mean by

"if you don't link it to live mail"

how can I be sure that I have not linked my mails to 'live mail'?

In WLM (the desktop client) you will see something called "sign in". It is the last button to the right under the Home tab. Simply don't sign in.

Funny enough I don't have that option that says
uncheck leave mail on server hope:

i uploaded a picture

I don't have that option either...I am using WLM 2011 (email client).