POP3 vs IMAP — which should I use?

When you set up an email client, you pick a "protocol" for incoming mail: IMAP or POP3. The choice matters more than it sounds.

Short answer

Use IMAP. Almost always.

What's the difference?

IMAP (recommended)

Messages stay on the server. Your email client reads them; reading on one device shows as read on every other device. Folders sync across devices. Deleting a message on your phone deletes it on your laptop too.

• Multi-device: read on phone, work computer, laptop — all in sync.
• Server-side storage: messages remain on the server until you explicitly delete them. Backed up by us nightly.
• Server-side search: search runs on the server, fast even across years of email.
• Offline copies: clients can cache messages locally for offline access; the server stays the source of truth.

POP3 (legacy)

Messages download to your device and (typically) get deleted from the server after download. Your device becomes the only copy.

• One device only — if you want email on phone AND laptop with POP3, both will fight for messages.
• Local storage: backups are your responsibility (the server doesn't keep copies after download).
• No sync: read on one device, looks unread on another.
• Folders are local-only: organizing on your laptop doesn't affect the server.

Why POP3 still exists

POP3 dates from the 1980s when bandwidth was expensive and people used one device. The "download and delete from server" model saved server storage and bandwidth.

There are still niche reasons to use it:

• Strict storage limits — if your mailbox is capped at 100MB and you use lots of email, downloading + deleting frees server space.
• Single-device usage — one specific device that gets all email and nothing else does.
• Regulatory archive needs — some compliance setups want messages off the server immediately, archived locally.
• Slow internet — POP3 is slightly more bandwidth-efficient on first sync.

For 99% of users, IMAP is the right answer.

Switching from POP3 to IMAP

If you've been using POP3 and want to switch:

1. Don't delete anything yet on either side.
2. Set up the same email account in your client as IMAP (alongside the existing POP3 setup, not replacing it).
3. Verify the IMAP setup shows your messages.
4. Move any messages from your POP3 account's local-only folders to IMAP folders if you want them on the server.
5. Once everything is on IMAP, remove the POP3 account from your client.

This works because POP3 typically downloads messages locally — they're still there. IMAP just adds server-side sync.

Settings reminder

For IMAP: see Email server settings. Short version: mail.yourdomain.com, port 993, SSL.

For POP3 (if you really want it): same server, port 995, SSL.

Power-user note

Some clients let you configure POP3 with "leave a copy on server" — kind of a hybrid. This works but is awkward; you don't get folder sync, and behavior across devices is unpredictable. Stick to IMAP for proper multi-device behavior.