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IMAP or POP3: which one to choose

Updated For SmarterMail Build 7692

Baca dalam Bahasa Melayu

Choose IMAP. Your mail stays on the server and looks the same on every device. POP3 downloads mail to one device and can remove it from the server.

Signs that an account uses POP3

Section titled “Signs that an account uses POP3”
  • Emails vanish from webmail or your phone once your PC is switched on.
  • A new phone or laptop shows no old emails.
  • Folders you create on one device do not appear on the others.

Check which type your app uses

Section titled “Check which type your app uses”
  1. Open the account settings in your email app.
  2. Look at the incoming server port. 993 means IMAP. 995 means POP3.

For where to find these settings, see Outlook, Thunderbird, iPhone and iPad or Android.

Switch to IMAP safely

Section titled “Switch to IMAP safely”
  1. Add your email account again in the app, this time as IMAP, using the details in Email server settings.
  2. Wait until all your folders finish syncing.
  3. If some emails exist only in the old POP3 account on your PC, drag them into a folder under the new IMAP account. They upload to the server and appear on all your devices.
  4. Check that the emails now show after you log in to webmail.
  5. Remove the old POP3 account from the app.

Common issues

My emails disappear from webmail and my phone after Outlook on my PC downloads them. Why?

Outlook on that PC is most likely set up with POP3, which downloads mail and can remove it from the server. Switch that account to IMAP using the steps on this page.

I set up email on a new phone but none of my old emails are there. Why?

Your old mail was probably downloaded to another device by POP3, so it is no longer on the server. Switch that device to IMAP and copy the old mail across, as in Switch to IMAP safely below.

Can I keep using POP3?

Yes, but turn on your app's option to leave a copy of messages on the server, or your mail will only be on one device. For most people, IMAP is simpler.

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