Make Hotmail go directly to your inbox (Skip Windows Live Home page)

By default, when you sign in to Hotmail, you will automatically be redirected to the Windows Live Home page: this is a summary of sorts that includes not just email previews, but also an activity brief for all things "Windows Live" related to your account / profile. For most people, who primarily use Hotmail for the webmail (email) aspect of the service, this can be an inconvenience more than anything else. In this tutorial, we will show you how to force Windows Live Hotmail to go straight to your inbox, and bypass the Home screen altogether, in just a few clicks.

Disable the Windows Live Hotmail Home screen on login

We are assuming that you are now inside your inbox, looking at your email folders on the left, and messages and Reading Pane (if not hidden) on the right hand side.

This option is buried inside the advanced Hotmail settings, which you'll access as follows: locate the "Options" menu in the top right corner of the screen, above your emails, and click on it; then, choose "More options" from the dropdown menu:
Access Windows Live Hotmail options and advanced settings

Windows Live will then send you to the "Hotmail Options" screen, which is divided into two columns of settings: near the middle of the second column (on the right), and under "Customizing Hotmail", click on the "Windows Live Home settings" link:
Customize your Windows Live Home screen settings and options

The option screen that follows ("Sign in to Hotmail"), controls what happens when you successfully login to your Hotmail account. Under "Choose which page to display first when you sign in to Hotmail", the "Show me Windows Live Home after I sign in" option is selected by default. To make Hotmail automatically load your inbox and emails after an account login, select instead "Show me my inbox when I sign in":
Make Hotmail load inbox and emails after sign in
Then, click on the "Save" button to apply your new Windows Live Home settings.

Hotmail Tip: from thereon, the Windows Live Home setting is saved with your account, not just on the computer you are using. If you ever change your mind and want it back, just follow the same steps and restore the original option.