First designed in 1986, IMAP has been around almost as long as I have, and yet it’s still treated with suspicion by many users and is seen as a ‘new’ or ‘advanced’ way of accessing email; while POP3 is seen as the ‘safe’ option. Many users don’t seem to know what IMAP is or how they should use it – yet it’s actually the answer to many of the little niggles that users have when it comes to email.

So, here’s why we love IMAP:-

Keep your messages on the server

Seamless multi-device sync

Choose what you download

On-server folders 

Check for new messages quickly

So, how do you connect to an IMAP mail server? With the same software that you’re already using for POP3 – just select ‘IMAP’ when setting up your account in Outlook, Thunderbird, Mac Mail, on your phone or tablet, and enter the same details that you’d use for POP3 – server name, username and password, then you’re good to go!

So, there you go. IMAP’s not scary, and not only for ‘advanced users’ – everyone who uses email for their day-to-day communication can make it do more with IMAP.