Set Up Outlook 2003 for IMAP or POP Access to Your Email Account

  • Article

 

Applies to: Office 365 for professionals and small businesses, Office 365 for enterprises, Microsoft Exchange, Live@edu

You can connect Outlook 2003 to your email account using POP3 or IMAP4. However, when you connect to your account using POP3 or IMAP4, you can’t use the calendaring and other collaboration features that are available when you connect to your account using an Exchange account.

If your mailbox is in a cloud-based environment (for example, in Microsoft Office 365 for enterprises or Office 365 for professionals and small businesses), and you want to connect to your account with Outlook 2003, you must choose the POP3 or IMAP4 option when you set up your account. For more information about support for Outlook 2003, see the FAQ "Can I use Outlook 2003 to connect to my email account?" in FAQs: Email Programs.

Important

If you're using Outlook 2003 and your mailbox isn’t in a cloud-based environment, you may also be able to connect to your email account with an Exchange account instead of through POP3 or IMAP4. Using an Exchange account lets you use calendaring and other collaboration features that you can't use if you connect through IMAP4 or POP3. For more information, see "What else do I need to know?" later in this topic.

How do I set up Outlook 2003 for POP3 or IMAP4 access to my email account?

  1. Open Outlook 2003. If the Outlook 2003 Startup page doesn't open, do the following:

    1. On the Tools menu, click Email Accounts.

    2. On the Email Accounts page, under Email, click Add an email account and then click Next to go to step 2.

    If the Outlook 2003 Startup page opens when you start Outlook:

    1. Click Next on the first page of the wizard.

    2. On the Account Configuration page, click Next again.

  2. On the Server Type page, select IMAP or POP3 and then click Next. Consider using IMAP because it supports more features.

  3. Provide the following information on the Internet Email Settings page:

    Under User Information:

    1. In the Your Name box, enter the name you want users to see when you send email from this account.

    2. In the Email Address box, enter your email address.

    Under Server Information:

    1. If you're using IMAP, enter your IMAP server name in the Incoming mail server (IMAP) box. If you're using POP, enter your POP server name in the Incoming mail server (POP3) box. For information about how to find your incoming POP3 or IMAP4 server name, see Finding the Server Settings.

    2. In the Outgoing mail server (SMTP) box, enter the SMTP server name. For information about how to find your outgoing SMTP server name, see Finding the Server Settings.

    Under Logon Information:

    1. In the User Name box, enter your email address.

    2. In the Password box, enter your password. If you want Outlook to remember your password, make sure the tick box next to Remember password is selected.

      Note

      Don't select Log on using Secure Password Authentication (SPA).

  4. At the lower-right side of the page, click More Settings, and then fill in the Internet Email Settings dialogue box as follows:

    1. On the General tab, under Mail account, type the name you want to use for this email account.

    2. On the Outgoing Server tab, select My outgoing server (SMTP) requires authentication. Make sure Use same settings as my incoming mail server is selected.

    3. On the Advanced tab:

    • Under Incoming server (IMAP), or Incoming server (POP3), select the This server requires an encrypted connection (SSL) tick box.

    • Under Outgoing server (SMTP), select the This server requires an encrypted connection (SSL) tick box, and then click OK.

    • If you're using POP3 and you want to keep a copy of your messages on the server, under Delivery, click Leave a copy of messages on the server. If you don't select this option, all messages will be removed from the server and stored locally on your computer.

  5. On the Internet Email Settings (IMAP) page, click Next.

  6. On the Congratulations page, click Finish.

  7. If you're using IMAP4, a message appears that asks you if you want to download folders for the mail server you added. Click Yes. Use the Outlook 2003 user interface to select which folders to synchronise between the server and your local computer, and then click OK.

Finding the Server Settings

Before you set up a POP3 or IMAP4 e-mail program, you need to look up your own POP3, IMAP4, and SMTP server settings.

Watch this video to learn how to find your server settings for your POP or IMAP e-mail program.

To find your server settings, sign in to your e-mail account using Outlook Web App. After you sign in, click Options > See All Options > Account > My Account > Settings for POP, IMAP, and SMTP access. The POP3, IMAP4, and SMTP server name and other settings you may need to enter are listed on the Protocol Settings page under POP setting or IMAP setting, and SMTP setting.

Note

If you see Not available next to POP setting, IMAP setting, and SMTP setting, your account may not be set up to use POP or IMAP e-mail programs. For more information, contact the person who manages your e-mail account.

What else do I need to know?

  • If you don't know whether to use POP3 or IMAP4, consider using IMAP4 because it supports more features.

  • If your e-mail account is the type that requires registration, you must register it the first time you sign in to Outlook Web App. Connecting to your e-mail account through POP3 or IMAP4 will fail if you haven't registered your account through Outlook Web App. After you sign in to your account, sign out. Then try to connect using your POP3 or IMAP4 program. For more information about how to sign in to your account using Outlook Web App, see How to Sign In to Your Email Using a Web Browser. If you have trouble signing in, see FAQs: Sign-in and Password Issues or contact the person who manages your e-mail account.

  • If your mailbox is in a cloud-based environment, for the best collaboration experience, we recommend that you connect to your account using Outlook Web App, or through an email program that supports Exchange account access such as Outlook 2007, Outlook 2010, Apple Mail 10.6 Snow Leopard, Apple Mail 10.7 Lion, Entourage 2008 Web Services Edition or Outlook for Mac 2011. Connecting to your account using POP3 and IMAP4 doesn’t allow you to use the rich email and collaboration features that are provided when you connect using an Exchange account.

  • If you're an Outlook 2003 user and your mailbox isn’t in a cloud-based environment, you may be able to connect to your email account using an Exchange account instead of using POP3 or IMAP4. Using an Exchange account lets you use calendaring and other collaboration features you can't get if you connect through IMAP4 or POP3.

What if I want to know more?