IMAP or POP3 Email Account Setup

When it comes to setting up our email account many of us just set it up once and then never need to think about it again but, there are several options to choose when setting up your email account one of which can help you manage your email easier between devices.

Essentially there are two methods by which you can read your email in a standard mailbox: POP3(Post Office Protocol version 3) or IMAP (Internet Messaging Access Protocol). You probably remember seeing these mentioned when you setup your email account on your computer or mobile device and never thought about it.

POP3
Setting your email account up as a POP3 account makes your computer actually download the email off the email server. Essentially you only now have your email on your computer. This is great for saving space on your email account as it removes it from the server but makes life difficult if you access your email on multiple devices as you will have downloaded emails to multiple devices.

IMAP
While IMAP requires more space on your mailbox than than POP3, it can be extremely useful to use. IMAP leaves your email on the server and synchronizes messages, folders, and spam across any other device you have setup as IMAP including webmail access. Essentially when you read, delete or move an email the same is reflected on your other devices.

While both POP3 and IMAP are equally used it can be beneficial for you to select the right option for your needs.