Let’s say, you’re configuring e-mail. Then, you are faced with two protocol options, namely POP3 vs IMAP. It could be, you are confused about which one to choose because you don’t know what is the difference between POP3 and IMAP, right?
Don’t worry, you won’t be confused anymore after reading this article. This time, we invite you to find out what is the difference between POP3 and IMAP, how to set both, and which one is more suitable for your needs.
You are so curious, right? Immediately, here comes the full explanation!
What Is a POP3 Account?
POP3 stands for Post Office Protocol 3, which is a protocol that functions to download email from the email hosting server to the client software. The difference between POP3 and IMAP is that emails that you download to your computer via POP3 will be automatically deleted from the server.
For example, if you want to access email with a smartphone, then you can’t find it anymore. Because the email in question is already on the computer.
Equivalent to three money by sending an email using the POP3 protocol. For example, if you send an email via smartphone, the email history will not be stored on the computer.
Thus, POP3 is often referred to as a one-way email communication protocol. This is because he cannot synchronize email between devices, even if he uses the same email account.
This is what makes some people switch from POP3 to IMAP. Even so, it’s a good idea to listen to how to set POP3 in the next point, so you can better understand the differences between POP3 and IMAP! or you check online studying services.
How to set POP3 on e-mail
If you follow how to create an email with Gmail, then the POP3 setting method is divided into two stages, namely:
1. Setup POP3 on Gmail Account
First, you need to set up a Gmail account with the following steps:
1. log in to Gmail in the browser installed on your computer.
2. In the upper right corner, click Settings > See all settings.
3. Pilih tab Forwarding and POP/IMAP.
4. After that, focus on the POP Download section. Here, choose one of the options Enable POP for all mail or Enable POP for mail that arrives from now on.
5. Finally, click Save Changes.
If so, let’s move on to the second stage!
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2. Configure POP3 in Email Client
In the email client software that you use, for example, Microsoft Outlook, do the email settings in Outlook by looking at the configuration below:
| Incoming Mail (POP) Server | pop.gmail.com Requires SSL: Yes Port: 995 |
| Output Mail (SMTP) Server | smtp.gmail.com Requires SSL: Yes Requires TLS: Yes (if available) Requires Authentication: Yes Port for TLS/STARTTLS: 587 |
| Server timeouts | More than 1 minute ( recommended 5 minutes ) |
| Full Name or Display Name | Your name |
| Account Name, User Name, or Email address | Your e-mail address |
| Password | Your Gmail password |
At this point, you already understand what POP3 is and at a glance the differences between POP3 and IMAP personal accounts. Let’s continue by discussing the meaning of IMAP!
What Is an IMAP Account?
IMAP stands for Internet Message Access Protocol, which is a communication protocol for copying email from the mail server to the client software. In IMAP, all email on the server is synced to the device you’re using.
That way, you can access the same business email on different devices, without worrying that the email will be deleted from the server.
You feel the same way when you send an email. You can open the history of emails that you write via tablet smartphone or computer, provided you are logged in to the same email account.
In short, IMAP is considered a two-way email communication protocol, due to its flexibility in syncing email between devices. So, you are interested in using the IMAP protocol? Check out how to set it below, OK?
How to set IMAP in e-mail
In general, there is only a slight difference between IMAP and POP3 when viewed from the way they are set. To be clear, let’s follow the two steps:
1. Setup IMAP on Gmail Account
If you have previously logged in to Gmail, you can go directly to the sequence of steps below:
1. Access the Settings menu > See All Settings in the upper right corner. Then select the Forwarding and POP/IMAP tabs.
2. Then, point your gaze to the IMAP access section. Here, enable the Enable IMAP option.
3. End by clicking Save Changes.
2. Configure IMAP in Email Client
If you have already setup IMAP, continue by changing the settings in your email client to like this:
| Incoming Mail (IMAP) Server | imap.gmail.com Requires SSL: Yes Port: 993 |
| Output Mail (SMTP) Server | smtp.gmail.com Requires SSL: Yes Requires TLS: Yes (if available) Requires Authentication: Yes Port of SSL: 465 Port for TLS/STARTTLS: 587 |
| Full Name or Display Name | Your name |
| Account Name, User Name, or Email address | Your e-mail address |
| Password | Your Gmail password |
How, how to set POP3 vs IMAP just as easy, right? Next, we will review the differences between POP3 and IMAP in detail. Let’s scroll down!
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The difference between POP3 and IMAP
Here are some differences between POP3 and IMAP as email protocols that you must know:
POP3
What is the difference between POP3 and IMAP? Check out the following POP3 characteristics:
- Emails must be downloaded from the server to the local device for you to access them.
- Every e-mail that you have successfully downloaded will be automatically deleted from the server.
- Emails that you open from one device you can’t access from another device.
- Emails you send from one device are local, you can’t look up their history from other devices.
- Any changes you make (e.g. reading or deleting an email) will not impact the other devices.
- You only need to be connected to the internet when downloading the email at the beginning, after that you can access the email without an internet network.
IMAP
Talking about POP3 vs IMAP, the characteristics of IMAP are:
- Emails are simply copied from the server to the device for you to read them.
- Emails that you have successfully downloaded to your device will not be deleted from the server.
- You can access your email from any device, as long as you log in to the same account.
- Emails that you send from one device can access the history of another device.
- Any changes you make to your email will affect other devices.
- You must always be connected to the internet to access email.
From the six aspects of the difference between IMAP and POP3 above, which can be concluded as follows:
Use POP3, if you will only access email from one device, and you don’t always get internet network access.
Instead, choose IMAP, if you need to access your email from several different devices, and you don’t mind being connected to the internet constantly.
You already know the difference between IMAP and POP3, right?
In this article, you will understand what are the differences between IMAP and POP3. The hope is that after this, you are no longer confused about choosing between POP3 vs IMAP. But keep in mind, the smoothness of communication via email is not only determined by the protocol.
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