Making Sense of Email Clients: Desktop and Mobile

Each of these email protocols operates on a web-based system to transfer messages from a server. In addition, each one supports most, if not all, email clients. So, no matter what email client you choose, you can access your email on a remote server.

IMAP supports both online and offline account access. It provides advanced sync features, and lets you view and manage messages without removing them from the server. Therefore, any changes you make are saved and reflected from all locations.

The POP protocol lets you read email messages without a constant Internet connection. POP downloads the messages from your server to your local computer or phone. While you can save a copy of the messages on your server, changes made from the local device are not saved on the server.

The Exchange ActiveSync® protocol provides a robust syncing tool for all of your email, calendar, contacts, and other communications between your desktop, mobile device, or Internet connection. With your Hosted Exchange Email account and your Exchange ActiveSync-enabled phone, you have secure access to communications from anywhere.

Note: For easy and safe access to your email accounts, IMAP is recommended. If you are a small business or need access to more than just email, Exchange provides the highest level of communication and syncing.

See Setting up Your Email with IMAP or Setting up Your Email with POP for general instructions, or see below for specific client setup instructions.

Note: To ensure that a copy of your email messages is left on the server, you can modify the settings of your email client.

The following information provides instructions for setting up your email account with popular PC email clients.

Setting up your POP or IMAP email address in:

• Microsoft Outlook. Set up your POP or IMAP email address in Microsoft Outlook in moments. To start, from the E-mail Accounts menu, select Tools.
• MS Outlook Express. Follow this tutorial for easy-setup instructions for Outlook Express. Start by selecting Accounts from the Tools menu.
• Mozilla Thunderbird. Set up your POP or IMAP email address with Thunderbird in a couple of clicks. To get started select Account Settings from the Tools menu.

The following information provides instructions for setting up your email account with popular Mac email clients.

Setting up your POP or IMAP email address in:

• Outlook 2011. You can setup your POP or IMAP address with Microsoft Outlook. It takes just a few minutes, so follow this link to learn how.
• Apple Mail. Setting up your IMAP account with Apple Mail is a snap. Start by selecting Preferences from the mail menu.
• Mozilla Thunderbird. Set up your POP or IMAP email address with Thunderbird in a couple of clicks. To get started select Account Settings from the Tools menu.
• Eudora. Changing the dominant personality in your Eudora email client to work with our email is easy. In Eudora, from the Tools menu, click Personalities. Keep reading to get connected.

The following information provides instructions for setting up your email account with popular mobile phones or devices.

Setting up your POP or IMAP email address in:

• Any Mobile Phone. Set up a POP or IMAP account quickly with your mobile device of choice. To get started, create an account with your mobile phone.
• iPhone. Our help article makes setting up IMAP on your iPhone easier than ever. NOTE: Once you setup your email on your iPhone, you can Enable SSL.
• Android. Quickly and easily set up your POP or IMAP address to work with your Android Mobile Device. On your Android, from the Home screen, tap the gray Application button.

Note: Access your POP or IMAP mobile email through mobilemail.secureserver.net or mobilemail.domainname.com, where domainname is your domain name.

SMTP email problems are among the most common. While these problems are typically easy to find and fix, they often cause the most headaches for email account management. The first step is to identify the error or problem. Then, you can research the possible solutions and get back to emailing.

If you are unable to send email, you should:

• Verify your SMTP and account settings including the User Name and Password. See What are the SMTP Relay settings for my email client?TIP: The User Name is the full email address associated with the account.
• Make sure that your Firewall, AntiVirus, and ISP are not blocking the ports. Our SMTP server, on WIFI, is limited to the ISP's restrictions, so you may need to modify your port settings as indicated here.
• Check the bounceback information here and here. There are several reasons that a message might get bounced back. If there is a link in the error message, follow it to find and resolve the problem.

In addition to the above list, see What do I do if I have trouble connecting to my email? for more troubleshooting help.

Note: Many mobile service providers use their SMTP server port as a default. In most circumstances, this doesn't need to be changed.