How to Configure IMAP in Outlook

Greetings user ✨. Are you in search of ways to configure IMAP in Outlook. This article will provide the exact answer for your query .So before going straight on the topic let’s discuss some crucial points.

Firstly let’s know about IMAP.

What is IMAP?

IMAP allows the user to access their mails via various devices.The full form of IMAP is Internet Message Access Protocol .IMAP syncs the emails from the server to the email clients so if the user is creating any changes while going offline it will update the server when the user goes online. This will only happen when you configure IMAP in Outlook while setting up the account.

IMAP stores the data in OST file format.

What is the Difference Between IMAP and POP3?

Here are some key differences .

1. IMAP (Internet Message Access Protocol)

It enables the user to store the copy of emails at the server side .
When you open your Outlook, then it automatically syncs emails with the server.
Any changes that the user did such as read, delete or move to a folder will be updated across all devices that are being used .
It is a great option if you use more than one device.
It usually requires an internet connection for most of the actions.
It gradually takes up server storage space if not managed.

2. POP3 (Post Office Protocol version 3)

POP3 allows users to download Emails from the server to your device.
When the user finishes downloading, messages will automatically be deleted from the server.
It doesn’t provide the ability to sync other devices.
It is Useful if you only want offline access and doesn’t require multi-device synchronisation.
POP3 is having the risk of losing emails if the device that is being used crashes,the user will lose all the emails.

Why do we need to configure IMAP to Outlook?

Below are some points discussed.

It helps to synchronise across multiple devices.
You can access the emails anywhere anytime.
IMAP is having a better organization that means it creates labels and folders that syncs with the server.
IMAP also provides data safety as it backs up the server data.
It provides integration with outlook features.

There are some basic needs mentioned above to configure IMAP in Outlook.

What is the step-by-step process to configure IMAP in Outlook ?

Given below are briefly explained steps. Open your Outlook account

Open Outlook
Then you have to Go to file option
Then select Add account.

2. Enter your email address

You can then type your email and then click to connect

3. Choose IMAP as an account type

Then you have to select “IMAP” rather than choosing POP3.

Enter IMAP & SMTP settings

For gmail -

incoming (IMAP) imap.gmail.com and Port 993 & Encryption: SSL/TLS.
Outgoing (SMTP):smtp.gmail.com and port 465 & Encryption: SSL/TLS

For Outlook -

Incoming (IMAP):outlook.office365.com and port 993 & Encryption SSL/TLS
Outgoing (SMTP):smtp.office365.com and port 587 & Encryption STARTTLS

For Yahoo-

Incoming (IMAP) : imap.mail.yahoo.com and port 993 and Encryption SSL
Outgoing (SMTP): smtp.mail.yahoo.com and port 465 or 587 and Encryption SSL/TLS

5. Enter your login credentials.

You can add your username : full email address.
Then add your password

6. Test connection

Outlook will perform a connection test by attempting to connect to the IMAP and SMTP servers.after that you’ll see the confirmation message.

7. Finish setup

Then click Done to complete this process. After that Outlook will download and sync the emails.

Note : sometimes the user will be stuck in a problem after they choose to configure IMAP to outlook, as mentioned in the article , IMAP links email with the server . if the server crashes the bridge between the email client and the server will get orphaned .In that case they will not be able to restore their files .The only way to get rid of this is to convert the OST files into PST. but the outlook doesn't provide this feature , in that case you can use a specialized software tool called SysTools OST to PST converter. This tool will help you out in this kind of situation.

Some Tips for Better IMAP Use in Outlook

You can use the folders to organize mail,
You can control sync frequency to improve performance.
You can archive the old mails if you need extra space
You can enable "leave a copy on server" (while switching between IMAP/POP if you want to switch ).
You can update Outlook regularly to avoid bugs.

After you configure IMAP in outlook, that's how you can use it efficiently.

Conclusion

In this article we have discussed the answer for How to Configure IMAP in Outlook, moreover why to use it and which one is better among IMAP and POP.

Hence among both , IMAP is the advanced way for handling emails .So you can go with IMAP rather than choosing POP3. but in some cases ,people choose POP as it stores the email offline and also it doesn’t allow multiple devices . So if the user only wants to use it in one device and doesn’t want their mails to be stored on the server they can go with POP3 as a suitable option.