Domain Intelligence
Last Updated:

Live.com

Safe to Send

Live.com is operated by Microsoft Corporation. The domain runs 1 mail exchange and SMTP is responsive, with all three authentication standards in force.

Safe to Send
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Verify @live.com emails

Live SMTP handshake against live.com mail servers. No email is sent. 10 free per day, no signup.

@live.com
No email sent No signup Real-time SMTP

Trusted by 400,000+ senders

4.9/5
From 8,500+ verified reviews
Compliance approved this in two weeks thanks to SOC 2 Type II and the GDPR documentation. Verification accuracy holds at the advertised 99%+ across our 80k physician contact list. Dana Mehta · IT Director, Healthcare
SOC 2 Type II GDPR CCPA 99.7% Accuracy
Disposable
No
Persistent addresses, not throwaway
SMTP Live
Yes
Mail server responds to SMTP handshake
MX Records
1
Mail exchangers

Mail Exchange (MX) Records for live.com Mail Exchange records. They tell other mail servers which hosts are responsible for receiving email at this domain, in priority order. Lower priority numbers are tried first.

1 RECORD
#2
live-com.olc.protection.outlook.com 52.101.68.17
Reachable
SMTP Handshake Simple Mail Transfer Protocol. We open a live SMTP connection to the primary MX and read the greeting banner. A response confirms the mail server is alive and accepting connections. Responsive
BANNER220 CO1PEPF000066EA.mail.protection.outlook.com Microsoft ESMTP MAIL Service ready at Fri, 15 May 2026 12:10:02 +0000 [08DEADDE8F4FB8F4]
Primary mail server accepted SMTP connection and returned a banner during the live audit.

live.com Email Authentication SPF · DKIM · DMARC

3/3 PASS
SPF Sender Policy Framework. A DNS record listing which servers are allowed to send mail for this domain. Receivers reject or flag mail from unauthorized servers. Pass
TXTv=spf1 include:spf-a.hotmail.com include:spf-b.hotmail.com include:spf-c.hotmail.com include:spf-d.hotmail.com include:spf.protection.outlook.com ~all
Authorized senders are defined and pass SPF policy.
DKIM DomainKeys Identified Mail. The sending server cryptographically signs outbound mail with a private key, and receivers verify the signature using a public key in DNS. Pass
SELECTORDetected via standard selectors
A DKIM signature was detected. Outbound mail from this domain can be cryptographically verified.
DMARC Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance. Tells receivers what to do when SPF or DKIM checks fail: none, quarantine, or reject. None
TXTv=DMARC1; p=none; sp=quarantine; pct=100; rua=mailto:rua@dmarc.microsoft; ruf=mailto:ruf@dmarc.microsoft; fo=1
Monitoring only. Receivers take no action when SPF or DKIM fails.

live.com Domain Registration WHOIS · Nameservers · Registrar

31 YEARS OLD
RegistrarCSC Corporate Domains, Inc.
IANA ID299
RegisteredDecember 27, 1994
Last UpdatedApril 23, 2026
ExpiresDecember 27, 2026
Age31 years
TLD.com
Authoritative Nameservers (4)
  • ns2-37.azure-dns.net
  • ns4-37.azure-dns.info
  • ns3-37.azure-dns.org
  • ns1-37.azure-dns.com
Registrant
Microsoft Corporation
WA, UNITED STATES
About this Domain

About live.com

live.com is a major email domain operated by Microsoft Corporation, part of the Outlook.com ecosystem. Introduced in 2005 as Windows Live Mail, live.com became one of Microsoft's primary consumer email domains. All accounts operate through Exchange Online infrastructure.

live.com benefits from Microsoft's industry-leading authentication with SPF, DKIM, and DMARC enforcement. Exchange Online Protection provides advanced threat detection and spam filtering.

The live.com mail servers enforce strict recipient verification and reject invalid addresses. The domain does not operate as catch-all. Microsoft's global infrastructure handles massive volumes with sophisticated reputation scoring.

Delivering to live.com follows Microsoft's standard sender requirements. Full SPF, DKIM, and DMARC compliance is essential. Register with SNDS and maintain low complaint rates.

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Common Questions About live.com

Is live.com a disposable or temporary email provider?
No. live.com is not a disposable email provider. It is classified as Free Email Provider operated by Microsoft Corporation and addresses on live.com are persistent rather than throwaway. Mail sent to a valid live.com mailbox reaches a real recipient.
How do I verify if a live.com email address is valid?
The fastest way to verify a live.com email address is to use our free email checker. Enter any @live.com mailbox at the top of this page and our system performs a real-time SMTP handshake against live.com's mail servers, confirming whether the mailbox exists, is reachable, and is safe to send to. No email is ever delivered during the check.
Can I check if a live.com email exists without sending a message?
Yes. Our real-time email verification API connects directly to live.com's mail server, opens an SMTP session, and queries the mailbox using the RCPT TO command without ever transmitting an actual email. The server's response confirms whether the live.com mailbox is valid, full, or non-existent. The recipient never receives anything and never sees the check.
What are the MX records for live.com?
live.com currently publishes 1 mail exchange (MX) record. The primary MX is live-com.olc.protection.outlook.com, which is the first server contacted when other mail systems try to deliver email to a live.com address. The full list with priorities and IP addresses is in the MX Records panel above. MX records tell sending servers where to route email for live.com.
Does live.com use SPF, DKIM, and DMARC email authentication?
live.com enforces all three email authentication standards: SPF, DKIM, and DMARC (policy: none). This is the gold-standard configuration. It means receivers can verify that mail claiming to come from @live.com is genuine, and live.com's DMARC policy of 'none' instructs receivers how to handle messages that fail those checks.
Why do emails to live.com bounce or get blocked?
Bounces from live.com usually fall into three buckets: the mailbox doesn't exist (5xx user unknown), the inbox is full, or your sending domain isn't authenticated to live.com's satisfaction. The fastest fix is to run each address through a free email verifier before you send, and to make sure your own SPF, DKIM, and DMARC are configured correctly so live.com's receivers trust you.
How can I verify a large list of live.com email addresses?
Our bulk email verifier accepts CSV or TXT uploads with thousands or millions of live.com addresses (or any mix of domains). Every address goes through 30+ checks including SMTP existence, live.com catch-all detection, role-account detection, and disposable-domain matching. Results typically come back within minutes and previously-failed addresses on your blacklist are reprocessed for free. For continuous high-volume needs, see our unlimited email verification API.
Is it safe to accept signups from live.com email addresses?
Yes, with normal hygiene. live.com is a legitimate email service and signups from @live.com behave like any other real user. Pipe each address through a real-time email verifier API at the moment of signup to catch typos and dead mailboxes, but there is no need to block live.com by default.
What email format does live.com use for usernames?
Most live.com mailboxes follow common patterns like first.last@live.com, firstinitiallast@live.com, or first@live.com, but the actual local-part rules depend on Microsoft Corporation. The only reliable way to confirm whether a specific @live.com address exists is to run it through a free email verification tool. Guessing patterns will produce a high bounce rate and damage your sender reputation.
How is the live.com risk score calculated?
The 0-to-100 risk score for live.com combines disposable-domain classification, mail-server reachability, MX record presence and depth, SPF / DKIM / DMARC enforcement, DMARC policy strength, SMTP banner response, and domain age. Lower scores mean safer to send to. Disposable domains are pinned at the high end of the scale. The live.com score is recomputed on every audit so it always reflects the live state of the domain.
Is live.com a valid email domain?
Yes, live.com is a valid email domain operated by Microsoft Corporation. It was part of Windows Live Mail and now runs on the Outlook.com/Exchange Online infrastructure.
Is live.com a disposable or temporary email provider?
No, live.com is not a disposable email provider. It is a permanent Microsoft email domain integrated with Microsoft accounts and the Outlook.com platform.
What mail server does live.com use?
Live.com uses Microsoft's Exchange Online Protection infrastructure. MX records point to Microsoft's mail protection servers, shared with outlook.com and hotmail.com.
Can I send marketing emails to live.com addresses?
Yes, with proper consent. Live.com follows the same Microsoft Defender spam filtering as outlook.com. Use Microsoft SNDS for reputation monitoring and ensure proper authentication.
How do I verify an email address at live.com?
Live.com addresses are verified the same way as outlook.com via SMTP. Microsoft's aggressive rate limiting applies. Use conservative connection rates to avoid temporary blocks.