POP vs. IMAP
POP and IMAP explained in plain words. We recommend IMAP.
This guide explains the difference between POP and IMAP, two ways your email program can get your email.
We recommend and support IMAP. Use it on every device and program unless you know you must use POP.
POP: one computer only
POP (Post Office Protocol) was the first way to download email from the mail server to one computer, and that is all it does.
When people started using more than one computer, POP3 added a setting to "leave the message on the server". It does not work well. Messages do not sync correctly between computers, and there is no way to tell if a message was read.
- You can only check and download messages from the Inbox.
- Other folders do not sync, and you cannot see the server's Junk Email folder.
- You have to check for new messages by hand, which is not good if you need email right away.
IMAP: all your devices stay in step
IMAP (Internet Message Access Protocol) was made to fix those problems. Its current version is IMAP4. It can:
- Leave messages on the server
- Delete and undelete messages
- Sync messages and folders between every device you own
- Show you the Junk Email folder
- Tell you whether a message has been read
This lets you keep your desktop, laptop, webmail, phone and tablet in sync, all at the same time. It also supports IMAP-IDLE, which "pushes" email to your inbox in real time. Any device that supports it gets new email instantly.
Why it matters
POP3 downloads messages to your computer. IMAP4 keeps them on our server.
If you use POP3 and your computer crashes, you could lose all your email if you did not back it up.
Our servers were built to be "mission critical". They are far less likely to go down than your computer. To use our webmail, push email and sync across all your devices, you must use IMAP.
Our server filters spam into the Junk Email folder. With POP3 you can only see the Inbox, so you never see what is in Junk Email. That can lead to missing messages.
Unless you know exactly what you are doing and must use POP3 for some reason, we strongly recommend IMAP.