Supported E-Mail Programs and Features
There are many ways to access your e-mail account. The most common ways are by using Outlook Web App or an installed version of Microsoft Office Outlook, or Microsoft Entourage. These programs provide e-mail access and many other collaboration features. In addition to these programs, you can connect to your e-mail account using Outlook Voice Access, a variety of other e-mail programs, and your mobile phone.
For setup instructions, see E-Mail Setup Help Wizard and Mobile Phone Setup Wizard.
Connecting to Your E-Mail Account
The following figure shows some ways you can connect to your e-mail account.
.gif "Methods you use to connect to your mailbox.")
The following list offers more information about each method of connecting.
Web browser Use Outlook Web App and the light version of Outlook Web App with browsers like Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, and Apple Safari.
Internet e-mail programs Use any program that supports IMAP4 or POP3, like Mozilla Thunderbird, Outlook Express or Windows Live Mail.
Exchange account access using Outlook or Entourage The programs that support Exchange account access include Outlook 2007, Outlook 2010, Outlook 2013, Outlook 2011 for Mac, and Entourage 2008 Web Services Edition.
Exchange account access using Windows 8 Mail and Apple Mail Windows 8 Mail supports Exchange account access using Exchange ActiveSync. Apple Mail 10.6 Snow Leopard and Apple Mail 10.7 Lion also support Exchange account access. Versions of Apple Mail 10.5 Leopard and earlier versions of Apple Mail use IMAP4 or POP3. Outlook 2003 is only supported if you use IMAP4 or POP3.
Mobile phones with an Internet connection You can connect using your Android, BlackBerry, iPhone, IPad, iPod Touch, Nokia (Symbian), Windows Phone, Windows Mobile, or other Internet-capable phones and tablets.
Any phone Use Outlook Voice Access with any phone to access your e-mail, calendar, and contacts.
Comparison of Features in Supported Programs
The following table summarizes some differences you might want to consider before you choose the e-mail program you'll use to connect to your e-mail account.
| E-mail program | Edit and view contacts, calendar items, tasks, and e-mail messages | Edit and view e-mail folders in addition to the Inbox | Listen to your voice mail | Access your information offline | Automatic setup | Accessibility for users who are blind or have low vision |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Outlook Web App |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
Not applicable |
No |
The light version of Outlook Web App |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
Not applicable |
Yes |
Outlook 2007, Outlook 2010, or Outlook 2013 |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Windows 8 Mail |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Outlook 2011 for Mac |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Entourage 2008, Web Services Edition |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Programs that use Exchange ActiveSync |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Some programs may support accessibility features. |
Outlook Voice Access |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Not applicable |
Not applicable |
Not available |
Programs that use POP3 |
No |
No |
No |
Yes |
No |
Some programs may support accessibility features. |
Programs that use IMAP4 |
No |
Yes |
No |
Yes |
No |
Some programs may support accessibility features. |
Outlook Web App
You can access your e-mail account through several different Web browsers. You can use any computer that's connected to the Internet or to a local Intranet, whether you're at home, in the office, or on the road. You can view and edit e-mail messages, appointments and meetings, contacts, and tasks. You can also listen to your voice messages and read text messages. Some other things you can do with Outlook Web App include:
Check your spelling
Use a variety of fonts, colors, and sizes in your e-mail messages
Group your e-mail messages in a variety of ways
Be reminded of upcoming events
The light version of Outlook Web App contains some of the same features as Outlook Web App. The light version provides a blind and low vision experience and will run with any Web browser. Several features aren't available in the light version, including:
Reminders
Viewing your calendar one week at a time
Changing your voice mail options
Changing the color scheme
Browser versions to use with Outlook Web App
For information about supported browsers, see Supported Web Browsers.
Outlook 2003, Outlook 2007, Outlook 2010, Outlook 2013, and Outlook 2011 for Mac
If you're using Outlook 2007, Outlook 2010, Outlook 2013, or Outlook 2011 for Mac, you can set up a connection to your e-mail account through an Exchange server or by using IMAP4 or POP3. Connecting Outlook 2007, Outlook 2010, Outlook 2013, or Outlook 2011 for Mac through an Exchange account provides more features than IMAP4 or POP3, including:
Access to your e-mail, contacts, and calendar when you aren't connected to the Internet.
The ability to propose new times for meeting requests you receive.
The ability to import, export, and archive your contacts and other information stored in Outlook.
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 e-mail account?" in FAQs: E-Mail Programs.
Entourage 2008, Web Services Edition
You can connect Microsoft Entourage 2008 for Mac OS X to your account using Entourage 2008, Web Services Edition. To do this, you first need to install Entourage 2008, Web Services Edition. This version of Entourage is available as an update to Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac.
To download this update and learn more about the Web Services Edition, visit the Microsoft Entourage 2008 for Mac, Web Services Edition Web page.
Although you can also connect Entourage for Mac OS X to your account (either Entourage 2004 or Entourage 2008) using POP3 or IMAP4, doing this doesn't provide all the features that are available when you use an Exchange account to connect. For example, if you connect using Entourage 2008, Web Services Edition, you'll be able to synchronize Notes, Tasks, Calendar items, and Categories between Outlook Web App and Entourage 2008.
Using Outlook Voice Access to Access Your E-Mail Account
Outlook Voice Access can be used from any telephone and can be used to listen to your voice mail, access information about a personal contact, and interact with your calendar. You can use your voice or the telephone keypad to navigate the Outlook Voice Access menus.
The Outlook Voice Access Quick Reference Guide includes information about all the menu options and how to move through the menus. To download a copy of the Quick Reference Guide, see the Microsoft Download Center.
Using Your Mobile Phone to Access Your E-Mail Account
Many mobile phones can be set up to access your e-mail account. If you have a mobile phone with Windows Mobile or an Apple iPhone, you can use Exchange ActiveSync to access e-mail messages, your calendar, contacts, and tasks on your phone. Other mobile phones support both the IMAP4 and POP3 protocols, which let you send and receive e-mail messages on your phone.
Using Other E-Mail Programs to Access Your E-Mail Account
If you have an e-mail program that supports IMAP4 or POP3, you can set it up to send and receive your e-mail. You can't use IMAP4 or POP3 to access your contacts, tasks, or calendar. Some programs you can use to access your e-mail account with IMAP4 or POP3 include:
Microsoft Outlook Express
Windows Mail
Microsoft Entourage
Mozilla Thunderbird
Mac Mail for Mac OS X
Note
If you're running Mac OS 10.6 Snow Leopard, you don't connect to your e-mail account using IMAP or POP. Connecting to your account with Mail for Mac OS 10.6 Snow Leopard requires less manual configuration. For more information, see Set Up Mail for Mac OS 10.6 Snow Leopard or 10.7 Lion for Your E-Mail Account.
What else do I need to know?
Using Outlook Web App on a mobile phone isn't supported.
If you try to open Outlook Web App on a computer or Web browser that isn't supported, the light version of Outlook Web App will open instead.
What if I want to know more?