Update 23/03/2014, 20/08/2015: It still amazes me how much traffic this page gets (by far the most popular post on this site) – people still want Windows Live Essentials 2009! A few things to note… first of all, Windows Live Messenger is no longer supported by Microsoft and it’s now built into Skype, so use that instead. Additionally, the rest of the software still works fine (including Windows Live Mail which is the most requested item), but do bear in mind that the 2009 version isn’t designed for Windows 8/8.1/10, so you may have limited success (not tried it myself). Best of luck!
If, like me, you’ve tried Windows Live Essentials 2011 and dislike it – you’ve come to the right place.
I can’t stand the new Windows Live Messenger or the fact that Windows Live Mail now seems to display an error every time you download a new email. Microsoft clearly didn’t put enough work into this one. So until they fix the issues with it, I’m back with 2009.
Sadly, however, Microsoft have removed the download links for Windows Live Essentials 2009 which is quite annoying. You can still get the web installer from some sites on the internet, but I suspect Microsoft will remove the resources for this soon.
Have no fear though. GEEK! has the full installer which you can download and install to get the 2009 version back. You must uninstall the 2011 version first completely, and then install this version again.
Download now
File size: 134.85 MB
File is on Google servers. You will get a warning that the file can’t be scanned for viruses by Google – this is just because it’s too big for them to scan. Please see the disclaimer below.
Disclaimer: GEEK! has made every effort to ensure the safety of this download by scanning it for viruses and uploading it to a reputable server. However, GEEK! is not responsible for damage to you or your equipment through use of this download or software. Use at your own risk. This download has been provided purely for historical version provision purposes and is not in any way an intention to breach copyright.
This Windows Live is garbage. I’m sweeping at least 30-40 junk emails a day. I’m sick of it.
Also sick of having to put in my hotmail address all the time.
I’ve had hotmail address for 8 years now. Will be a pain to switch over to another email addy now.
Why didn’t they just leave it alone?????
Has anyone else found that while typing an email to someone your cursor is all over the place?
I keep thinking my mouse is moving and it’s not….
HATE HATE HATE windows live. What a piece of crap. Right now I’m getting rid of my hotmail on windows live and going to another site
I get so much junk mail I can’t keep up with sweeping it everyday. It’s crazy…..
I have hated the 2011 version from the very start. I hate how it freezes-up after clicking on CONTACT at the lower left, it then lists ALL the contacts, but if you try to add a New Contact, the moment you click on it you get NOT RESPONDING. What a WORTHLESS program. The best one I ever got to use was Outlook in Office 2003/XP.
Oh…if you read this…keep the comments coming and let Microsoft know they need to try harder. Oh and thanks for the post to the old messenger GEEK!
Yeah WLM 2011 really sucks. I just want a simple messenger with options to add bells and whistles when I want to. I also hate the advertisements and forced browser opening in order for me to access my buddy list. What a fluster cluck.
hello there! how do you un-install the windows live essentials 2011? i cant seem to locate the files :/
You’ll need to uninstall the old version via Programs and Features in Control Panel. Look for Windows Live Essentials and remove everything.
Then install 2009 again 🙂
You’re right I literally hate the new windows 2011.
I’ve sent comments about the problems I have with it and now I’m back to the old. I have no password protection on my hotmail accountl separate from the messenger so I cant leave my messenger open when im not around.
I deleted the 2011 version. When I clicked on your link for the 2009 version…it comes up with fileserve.com web site. Is there still somewhere I can get the 2009 Photo Gallery and Movie Maker? I have to keep doing a system restore to go back to the old ways, But when I go back it says something is wrong with my anti-virus so I have to go back to the current restore. Driving me nuts..Help
I installed it but it wont show up for me. 🙁 It installed perfectly and everything. I can open it and it shows up in task manager but I dont see it. It doesn’t show up. Help? D;
If I uninstall the 2011 version and install 2009, will I still have my emails and calendar entries?
Yes 🙂
Thankkkkkkk youuuuu man…..
With this version i can change my letters…..
on the other version ( 2011 ) i just can talk…. :d
Thaanks
I was about to quit searching for this program when i found your post, one thousand times THANKS..
Thanx! Windows Live 2011 is just another annoying product from MS.
you are a lifesaver . seriously . thank you so much for this ! 🙂
Another mistake of microsoft. I was annoyed by the problem that windows live mail doesn’t ask for a password to see the emails in my pc. I can open windows live mail and without typing a password I can see my emails (already downloaded to my computer). This is a big security problem. I don’t want anyone on my computer to be so free to see my emails.
sup man it keeps asking me to update to newer version is there a way to stop from it doing it?
don’t think so -sorry.
you might want to try uninstalling your old windows live essentials before installing this one .
hi
i just got ANOTHER replacement laptop from dell. DELL SUCKS DON’T BUY DELL. But anyways, i got rid of live mail 2011 and downloaded the 2009 version.
my question is–even though all my mail is here, my calender is GONE. is there any way to get all my calender entries back, cause geeez i cant remember all my entries
if anyone like they can e mail me direct
tv_terri@live .com
tyvm in advance
It won’t let me download it, all it comes up with is: Your IP has failed the captcha too many times. Please retry later. Needs to be sorted out! :/
That’s down to Fileserve, not me 😛
I use Dragon v11 speech-to-text for writing e-mails and almost every other document. Dragon and Live Mail 2011 did not get along very well. The Dragon folks have tested with Live Mail 2009, so I was very happy to get my old Live Mail back. Dragon gets along with it very well. However, the reinstalled Live Mail 2009 will not display a calendar, and presents me with the diagnostic that a folder is probably busy. I have been unable to make that work, so I use the Hotmail online calendar as a workaround. Is there any way to re-integrate my calendar with the reinstalled Windows Live Mail 2009?
Omgod it worked!!! thank youuuuu. WLM 2011 just sucks and im soooooo glad ive 1009 again.
thank you thank you. 😀
2009* sorry. XD
THANK YOU! 😀
I think that your WEL 2009 download link has been hijacked….no connection to the download…only for an ad and offer to buy the FIlesave service
Working fine for me… just click slower download.
Well…here I am again…I went ahead and uninstalled Windows Live Essentials 2011 and checked all the options…so the whole thing is gone and it is not in my list of programs….now I’m back a yur site, ready to download the Windows Essentials 2009 and when I click on the dowload link, I get an add for “Filesave” …and that’s all I get!. At least before it was TRYING to download the file…now it won’t even go there…..I’m ready to go to Apple!!
any suggestions?
Agreed. WLE has put us all back in time to when nothing talked to anything. I am also looking seriously at Apple. I don’t like my emails going anywhere but to the person I send them to. I dont like Picasa3 being interfered with. I OWN THIS COMPUTOR NOT MICROSOFT. Time the Lawyers fined them yet again for restrictive practice. Anyone know of an organisation that will do just that?
Kay here again….must I uninstalll the entire WL essentials before this will work…I uninstalled only the Mail portion…
I hate Windows Live Mail 2011 with a purple throbbing passion!!. It was not sending sent mail into my “sent” box, even though I had that option checked. Now I have no “sent” box at all! I have to call people to see if they got my emails! I know there must be a way to add a contact to your address book, but it certainly is not logical…(as perhaps an option in “Contacts”)….the Add contact option will only add a contact to the new email….at least that is how it is my screen. ”A friend has WLM 2009 and loves it and talked me into trying it before bailing completely and goin back to Outlook. He gave me this site which he used and I uninstalled 2011 ..but when I go to dowload 2009, it hangs up and gives me a “page cannot be displayed”….I know I’m connected to the net because I am running other things and also can navigate this site….I have also downloaded some other updates…it seems to be just his particular download.will not work… now I have no email whatsoever….I’m ready to just put my fist through it! Any suggestions short of assault?
THANK YOU!! glad it wasn’t just me.
I hated the newest version of Windows Live, too, and am in the midst of following the above directions. After deleting the new one, I suppose I will have lost my Address Book, right? Also–a complaint I have with the new version of Windows Live is that I couldn’t seem to get unwanted emails to go to the junk or spam folders–whether I checked to remove sender or sender’s domain…is there something I should have done differently? All the old unwanted emails just kept coming…thanks!
You are a superStar Geek!!!
Installed 2011 when it came out, and has been my biggest computing mistake ever, more annoying than a virus!! So slow, mail hardly ever works, cant wait untill this downloads, 2009 was perfect, i dont know why they updated it!?!?
Sod MSN 2011….It sucks balls!
Why isn’t anyone protesting against it?
They’ve joined up with Facebook for christs sake! MSN joining up with Facebook?? They’re supposed to be our rivals…the ones we should despise!!!
MSN even has it’s own wall! Which clever idiot thought of that? Probably one who looked on Facebook!
Everyone should move away from this pile of rubbish MSN 2011 and stick with MSN 2009. That was a time where MSN actually had respect for its users and a time when it was more successful and easier to use! Apart from the convo tabs, MSN 2011…you failed us!
I soooo agree. Apple could well be getting a new customer. The arrogance of microsoft is monumental
No problem everyone 🙂
@Kerry this probably won’t bring it back as I think Microsoft patched out that feature some time before the release of 2011. You probably won’t be able to add it back, as other users of Messenger won’t have the old functionality anyway as they will probably be on a newer version.
Thanks, yeh I was forced into this ‘security’ patch version of 2009 last week to continue using the service and I’m not happy about it. Up until end of last week I was still able to use Show and View Webcams. Don’t see the point in patching out that feature in 2009, they may as well of left 2009 as it was for XP users and those on Vista and 7 who wanted that version and did 2011 for anyone who does like that (not many lol). As soon as I can find a program that allows webcam only and not stupid video calls WLM has lost me as a user entirely.
Can anyone tell me if this brings back Show and View Webcam option? Or is this just the 2009 version after forced update that removed that feature? I really need the Show and View Webcam feature back as video call just doesn’t work, its poor quality, laggy and freezes up the computers both ends, I’m in a long distance relationship and we relied on this feature. If not does anyone know of a program that allows the Webcam only option, not video call? Yahoo and Skype seem to be video call only too, what is going on with all these clients!
If it helps, the forced updated 2009 without Show/View Webcam feature is ‘Version 2009 (Build 14.0.8117.416)’ I am looking for an earlier version than this.
Thanks sooo much! You’re a legend!
YESSSS YOUR AMAZINGGGGG
THANK YOUUUU! (:
downloading it atm & if this works you are truly AMAZING! i HATE the messenger 2011 with my life ughh.. stupid think wouldnt even lockkkk thank you so muchhhhhhhh <33
Thanks for this GEEK!!! I am much happier with this old version 🙂
I HATE WINDOWS LIVE ESSENTIALS 2011 it sucks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! too much f*** ads and the new options simply sucks
Clever Geek!
Thanks very much.
Un-installed crappy Essentials 2011, rebooted pc and installed Windows Live Mail 2009.
Works perfectly.
Cheers
when I try to install 2009 version to windows 7 I get a message ro say it won’t install it because rhere is a newer version. How I hate this WLE 2011 !!
I hate they way MS does these things: first they F*CK up office by changing the complete layout, which nearly cost me half a year to get the hang of again ( !!! ) now they do the same with Photo Gallery, the Movie Maker, then LIVE MESSENGER ….. wtf is wrong with MS?
they should stick with what is known to work with the public and stop forcing us updates we do not want!
if it wasn’t for linux being unable to run Photoshop and other certain programs flawlessly I would switch to linux permanently…
Thanks, hate the new messenger, worst thing about it is the new ’emoticons’
I totally agree. I love the old version. I love the handwriting/drawing option. It’s so easy to use.
The new one is ugly especially the new ’emoticons’. It complicates things rather to make it nice and easy. MS is doing too much commercials leaving no choice to use older versions. I hate it.
Dude! It works like a charm. Thank you!!
I uninstalled Live Mail 2011, rebooted, and installed yours.
(I couldn’t get my signature to work on 2011. Love the older version.)
dear GEEK! thanks for all the help you gave.wlm 2011 sucks and even killed my webcam sessions.i can’t find the command.really microsoft is becoming a fucking bullshit crap.all the features are gone.i can’t send a wink,i can’t send a nudge,emoticons sent from other people don’t appear unless they’re the original ones,in brief even recycle bin won’t accept wlm 2011.thanks for the help.i will never upgrade until i make sure everything will work the same.and what sucks is that they didn’t warn us that it will stink that much.no skins,msn plus doesn’t work,all the fun we used to have in the older versions are gone as if we were mourning.so sorry to say: fuck you microsoft for annoying us.we are not lab rats for your fucked up failing programs.
Recently I upgraded my IM to Windows Essentials 2011. I don’t do the auto windows update. I like to check before I update so I run it every so often. I noticed that there were 2 important updates, one of them being the IM update. What a piece of junk!! Too bulky and way more than I need in my IM. Did some research and many people were complaining and a fair amount of them said their Hotmail was blocked and IM contacts deleted and blocked and just plain wouldn’t work. Many also said their Skype accounts no longer worked. I could not easily uninstall the IM update. It was as tho they blocked me from doing that. I had to go back and do a system restore. First time I didn’t go back far enough but I finally got the restore for 12/05/2010 to work. I then went out and found IM version 7.5. Worked fine.
The thought occured to me that it was somehow related to the Windows update?
Is it possible Windows did this becuase they want the Skype market?
have just downloaded this software. and previously restored my software to a date before i updated, but nothing is working i cannot get the old msn back. even after downloading the software above it hasnt worked please help me?
Thank you so much. This version is so nice to use and so uncomplicated.
Why do MS always seem to need to complicate things that previously worked very well?
do i have to delet the new
Yes you need to before you install the old one.
thx i do not like the 2011 the mail does not work the web cam does not work they a lot of problems for me
This will not install Live Movie Maker because it says I already have the program even though I have uninstalled it, any ideas?
i have uninstalled live essentials 2011 but when i try to install live essentials 2009 it tells me i already have a newer version. i have looked everywhere, dont know what else to remove, please help. live essentials 2011 sucks.
Did you try rebooting after the uninstall, then attempting to install WLE 2009?
Yes! Thank you! I can live with the new Messenger, but Photo Gallery is just a big clusterf**k! Such a terrible layout….it’s like they were drunk, and just threw a bunch of stuff down and said: “Here! Let’s go with this!”
lol
Yeah I have to agree with you there! What were they thinking? 😛
Can you please send me a step by step instruction as to how to delete Windows Live Essentials 2011 and install Windows Live Essentials 2009.
I presume that when deleting, Windows Live Mail also disappears, what happens to all the emails that I have received, sent and saved in various folders ?
The reason for my asking is, I am a senior citizen, not very adept on the technical side of computers, but I do know that Windows Live Essentials 2011 is crap.
Thank you
Bob
Downloading now. If this is legit, thank you so much!!! Your are a lifesaver. I HATE how hard it is to quick edit photos in the new Photo Gallery. Microsoft KILLED a wonderful program with this mess.
Yeah, it’s working! Thanks!
No problem 🙂