Move the Reading Pane in Hotmail (message preview at bottom or right)

Many computer monitors used to ship in a square format, and the viewable area of the screen was nearly as high as it was wide; this trend has changed, however, because of lower manufacturing costs attached to producing "wide screen" monitors. This means that when you are checking your Hotmail emails from a web browser, you may not see much if you are using a wide screen monitor in landscape mode (horizontal) when the Reading Pane (or "preview pane") is showing at the bottom. On the other hand, if you are using your display in portrait mode (vertical), seeing the email listing of the current folder and the preview of the currently selected message side by side will seem very narrow. But fortunately, Windows Live Hotmail lets you customize your Reading Pane settings, and move and show the Reading Pane at the bottom or on the right side, as you'll learn in this tutorial.

Switch to the vertical Hotmail Reading Pane (right side of the screen)

The first step is to sign in to your Hotmail account; from which computer you do that doesn't matter, since Windows Live will remember your Reading Pane settings for your entire account, not just for the computer and browser you are using at the time.

Once you are logged in to your account, and looking at your email messages, locate the "Options" menu near the top right corner of the page. Click on it, and Hotmail will display a dropdown menu, which starts with "Reading Pane Settings":
Access your Reading Pane settings in Windows Live Hotmail

Notice from the screenshot above that your current setting is highlighted (in a background color that depends on the Hotmail Theme you are currently using). To show the Reading Pane vertically, choose "Right", and Windows Live will move it to the side of the screen - and ideal setup if your monitor is wide.

Rotate to the horizontal Reading Pane setting (at the bottom)

If you prefer a wide Reading Pane (stacked at the bottom, below the listing of email messages inside the current folder), the steps are nearly identical: click on the "Options" dropdown menu near the top right corner of the page, and this time choose "Bottom" under "Reading Pane Settings" as shown below:
Use the horizontal Reading Pane in Hotmail (stacked at bottom of the screen)

And again, Hotmail.com will apply the change immediately, and move your Reading Pane and email preview at the bottom, below the list of messages contained inside the current folder. This is how easily you can move the preview pane of your emails!