Change POP Email to IMAP with Easy Solutions

Nowadays, many experts prefer to save their emails on IMAP. But, if you are using a POP account and want to switch email from POP to IMAP. This article will help you. Here, I am going to explain the difference between POP and IMAP. Explore the methods to change the email server and how to care for your IMAP account. So, read this guide to the end.

First, we understand what POP and IMAP are. POP (Post Office Protocol) and IMAP (Internet Message Access Protocol) are the types of email protocols that allow the email client to retrieve email from the mail server. POP downloads your emails from the server to your device, which may completely remove your data from the server. However, IMAP keeps your emails on the internet server, and it helps you sync your data across multiple devices.

From the beginning of email, the POP protocol was widely used. Because of the low internet connection, limited storage on servers, and usually a person has only one device to check their emails. But as the technology starts evolving, users are accessing their emails on multiple devices. The popularity of IMAP is growing. Now, IT admins and professionals use IMAP to store, share, and access their emails in IMAP.

For a detailed understanding, below is the comparison between these two protocols.

Difference Between POP and IMAP

Aspects	POP	IMAP
Where are emails stored?	In POP, you store your emails in your device.	Emails stay on the server but sync across devices.
Can it be accessed on multiple devices?	No, it is not designed to access your emails from various platforms.	Yes, easily access your emails across different devices.
Can a folder be synced?	No, folders are synced only Inbox downloads.	Yes, full folder and subfolder sync.
Office Accessibility	You can use POP to make your email available offline by downloading.	IMAP also allows you to access emails offline, but you need to pre-download or sync emails to your device.
Ideal For	It is best for single-device users with limited server storage.	Users who have multiple devices and want constant syncing.
How risky is it to lose your data?	The risk is higher in POP because it saves a local copy on your device.	It has a low risk because the data stays on the server.

So, you now understand these two email protocols. Without wasting any time, let’s go through the solutions to switch the email from POP to IMAP.

Preparations Before Changing POP to IMAP

Converting email from POP to IMAP accounts can be a risky process for the users. Therefore, there are certain things that you must pay attention to before going through the procedure.

1. First of all, create a copy of your POP emails. Save the copy securely on your local device.
2. Check if your IMAP account has enough storage to move your emails.
3. Organize your mailbox by cleaning up your unnecessary messages.
4. Verify the login credentials of the IMAP account. Also, note down the IMAP server settings.

Once you have fulfilled these preparations, follow the steps below to change POP emails to IMAP.

How to Switch Email from POP to IMAP?

In this, I am going to use an email client like Thunderbird, Outlook, or Apple Mail that supports both POP and IMAP. By using these applications, you can easily export emails to your local drive. Then, configure your IMAP account and import the emails into it. This is a lengthy process, but here are the clear steps you can follow.

1. Here, I am going to use Outlook. But it is up to you which email client you have.
2. Run Outlook on your device and go to the File menu.
3. Click on the Open & Export button and then Import/Export.
4. Select the Export to a File, then Outlook Data File option.
5. Choose the folder that you want to move to the IMAP account. Browse a location to store your exported file.

After exporting your data to your local device. Now, configure the IMAP account in the email application.

Connect IMAP Account to Email Application

1. In the Outlook application, go to the Account Settings.
2. From the Account Settings, click on the new Add Account option.
3. Provide your IMAP email address that you want to connect to the program. Hit the Connect button.
4. Choose the type of IMAP account and click Connect.
5. Enter your IMAP password and the server settings.
6. Lastly, finish the setup procedure and connect your account.

After you have properly synced your IMAP account with the email client. You can now import the file that you have just exported. This same procedure can also be done on other email clients, where you have to first save the file, connect the IMAP account, and then import the saved file to the configured IMAP account.

Problems in Changing POP Emails to IMAP

I have explained the above procedure with simple steps and an example. However, some of you may face problems during or after the migration. Such as.

• The issue of email duplication arises when you are moving them from a POP to an IMAP account.
• If the email provider’s storage is limited while migrating your emails. Then, it is difficult to move your emails.
• Because of an error, you are not properly syncing your IMAP account.
• We use both POP and IMAP accounts in the same email client. Some users were confused during the process.

There are many other issues that you may face when changing from POP to IMAP. Although you can save your POP emails on your local device. But the risk may increase in an IMAP account where the email message stays on the internet. So, it is also important to secure your IMAP data as well.

How to Secure IMAP Emails?

To safeguard your IMAP emails, backup is the best solution. By backing up the data, you can prevent accidental deletions and any other IMAP issues. To do this, you can take the help of SysTools IMAP Backup Tool. A professional software that can easily save your IMAP data without any issues. The tool provides you with various export options like PST, PDF, EML, MSG, etc.

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Conclusion

In this article, I have explained how you can switch your email from POP to IMAP. The only way to change from POP to IMAP is to first save your emails and then configure your IMAP account. Here, I have explained the process of converting POP to IMAP in simple steps. So, it is easy to follow. But you may face problems during the process. In that case, you may need to backup your IMAP emails. For this, I also provide a solution to save your IMAP emails.