POP3 vs IMAP

The most important differences between POP3 and IMAP

POP3	IMAP
Emails are downloaded	Emails are synced
Downloaded emails can be left on the server or removed from the server	Emails are left on the server until you delete them
When you delete an email in your mail client, that email may or may not be deleted from the server as well.	When you delete an email in your mail client, that email may be removed from the server, or or may be moved into the deleted items folder on the server.
Sent mail is not stored on the server	Sent mail **may or may not** be stored on the server
If you've sorted your email into folders, these folders exist on your device, not on the server	Your custom folders **may or may not** exist on the server

If you're unsure of which you're using, you can check the account settings in your mail client. We've outlined how to do this below. Skip to the section that applies to your mail client:

Am I using POP3 or IMAP?

Your mail account could be configured as POP3 or IMAP, and this will determine how you'll need to proceed.

To find out which you're using, you'll need to check your email account settings.

Outlook

• In Outlook 2010 or 2013
  1. Click File.
  2. ClickAccount Settings.
  3. Click the Email tab.
• In Outlook 2016 or 2019
  1. Click File
  2. Click Account Settings.
  3. Click the new Account settings option that appears.
• In Outlook 2021 and 365
  1. Click File
  2. ClickAccount Settings
  3. Click Manage Profiles
  4. Click Email accounts

For all versions of Outlook, you'll see a list of your email accounts with Name and Type. Take note of the Type of your email account, which will be listed as IMAP/SMTP or POP3/SMTP.

Thunderbird

1. Click on the main Menu button.
2. Go to Options and select Account Settings.
3. Click Server Settings
4. Take note of Server Type which will be listed as IMAP Mail Server or POP3 Mail Server.

Apple mail

MacOS 13

Open the Mail app, and then click Mail.

Click Settings then click Accounts.

Select your account on the left, and then click the Server Settings tab on the right.

The incoming server will be listed at the top of the Server settings tab like Incoming Server (IMAP) or Incoming Server (POP3).

MacOS 12 and earlier

Open the mail app and click Mail.

Click Preferences, and then click Accounts.

Click the Server Settings tab on the right.

The incoming server will be listed at the top of the Server settings tab like Incoming Server (IMAP) or Incoming Server (POP3).