MAY 5,2017 / BEN APPLEGATE
The key function of IMAP and POP3 is similar. Both retrieve messages from the server. POP3 is the latest version of POP which creates local copies of emails and deletes the originals from the server. The article focuses on manual way to change from IMAP to POP3.
In Outlook 2010 and 2013, the Auto Account configures the web based email account as an IMAP account. But with Outlook 2007, POP3 gets support.
There is no any direct method to convert from IMAP to POP3 but user can try out 3 methods-
Simply Add POP3 Account
There are a few differences in adding POP3 in different versions of Outlook.
For Outlook 2003
Select Tools—E-Mail Account—Options – Add an Email account
For Outlook 2007
Select Tools — Account Settings – press New Tab – Add a New Email account
For Outlook 2010-2013
Select File – Section Info – Account Settings – Account Settings – Add email account
The Auto Account Setup feature is used in Outlook 2007 to 2013 to automatically fill the details like username, password and email id. Outlook itself makes search of the mail server settings. When the process is over, it displays the settings. In case, the Auto Account Setup doesn’t work or detects IMAP, manual configuration requires. Make sure you have all the details of server configuration when you are setting up account manually.
Moving the Mail Folders
It requires manual configuration because POP3 doesn’t support automatic download of the content from sub-folders and sent items. Only messages of the inbox folder are downloaded by POP3.
To move messages, all you need to use Ctrl+A to select the emails or folders that you would like to export in POP3 account. Users can drag and drop messages easily. During drag and drop feature, users are provided with 3 options- move, copy and cancel. The safer side is to copy the folder.
Delete Current IMAP Account
When all the required messages are copied from IMAP to POP3, the IMAP account can be removed through accessing the Account Settings option.
If you are using Outlook 2003, select “view or change existing email accounts” in order to proceed to the account details.
If you are a user of Outlook 2013, before removing IMAP, it is must to ensure that the PST format has been setup for the POP3 account.
Final Lines: There are many email clients that use both IMAP and POP3 accounts for downloading emails. One of the major advantages of POP3 over IMAP is that there are multiple POP3 compatible programs available.
