MS Outlook POP3 to IMAP
POP3 (Post Office Protocol) email is the most popular email method on the Internet. If you connect with POP3, via Outlook for example, Outlook will download all of the email on the mail server to your local computer, storing the email within the Outlook software. In turn, the mail on the server is typically deleted by default. Although there is an option in Outlook that allows you to leave email copies on the server, in today’s mobile world, POP3 is no longer an optimal method.
IMAP (Internet Message Access Protocol) is the second most common email method, and IMAP is much more suited for modern email users who often access their email from multiple devices. Instead of downloading your emails, IMAP keeps your email and directory structure on the mail server so you can access it from anywhere, your work desktop, your home desktop, your laptop, your mobile phone, or a public connection.
Here is how to change from a POP3 email account to an IMAP email account in Outlook.
1. Open Outlook.
2. From the Outlook menu choose Tools -> Email Accounts.
3. Make sure the option to “View or change existing e-mail accounts” is selected and then click on Next.
4. Select the POP account and then click on the Change button.
5. Remove the check mark next to “Remember password.”
6. Click on Next and then on Finish.
7. Choose Tools -> Options -> Mail Setup and click on Send/Receive.
8. Click on Edit, select the POP account and deselect the option for “Include the selected account in this group”. Then click on OK, Close and OK.
9. Close Outlook.
10. Open Outlook again and if you are prompted for a password for that account (you shouldn’t be) don’t give it — instead click on Cancel. If you are prompted for a password, ensure you have followed the steps above correctly.
11. Now the POP account has been disabled, setup the new IMAP account via Tools -> Email Accounts.
12. You can now either drag the email from the POP account folders to the IMAP account folders or use the File -> Import/Export utility to import the POP based PST file into the IMAP account.
13. Once you’ve confirmed all the POP based email has been moved, delete the POP account from Tools -> Email Accounts.
