# POP3 v. IMAP and a new Mac email client... **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 22, 2011, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pop3-v-imap-and-a-new-mac-email-client/593716 "2011-08-22T23:34:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Stoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stoid/32/272_2.png) [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2011, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pop3-v-imap-and-a-new-mac-email-client/593716/1 "2011-08-22T23:34:36Z")
I’ve never paid any attention to the whole pop/IMAP thing, I have no idea what it affects. But I’m looking at a new Mac email client and it says it only supports IMAP. So how do I know which, if any, of my (WAY too many) email accounts it won’t be able to deal with? I have gmail accounts, yahoo accounts, roadrunner and accounts that are set up via my server and I have no clue. Any help is appreciated. ---
**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2011, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pop3-v-imap-and-a-new-mac-email-client/593716/2 "2011-08-22T23:40:55Z")
If you’re using a Mac mail client now, look at the settings for all the accounts you check. Otherwise, use Google to search for each type of e-mail account you have. e.g. search terms “yahoo mail imap setup” found this page > **[IMAP server settings for Yahoo Mail...](https://help.yahoo.com/kb/mobile-mail/SLN4075.html?impressions=true)** > > Benefit from the latest technology provided by Yahoo for third party email apps with IMAP. Find out the IMAP settings and port numbers for mobile mail apps and desktop mail client. search terms “gmail imap setup” found this page > **[Check Gmail through other email platforms - Gmail Help](https://support.google.com/mail/answer/7126229?visit_id=638266074031028219-3279716405&rd=2)** > > Set up IMAP and change your SMTP settings to read Gmail messages in other mail clients, like Microsoft Outlook and Apple Mail. When you use IMAP, you can read your Gmail messages on multiple devices, For Roadrunner, I can’t tell if they support IMAP or not. Send an e-mail to customer service asking them how to setup a mail client that uses IMAP. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2011, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pop3-v-imap-and-a-new-mac-email-client/593716/3 "2011-08-22T23:45:41Z")
I find it hard to believe that any email client doesn’t support POP3. What client is it? ---
**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2011, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pop3-v-imap-and-a-new-mac-email-client/593716/4 "2011-08-22T23:50:39Z")
That’s a good point, I look at this Wikipedia list [Comparison of e-mail clients: Protocol support: Communication and access protocol support](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_e-mail_clients#Communication_and_access_protocol_support) and they don’t show any e-mail client that does not support POP3. ---
**Author:** ![Fuzzy\_Dunlop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/848f3c/32.png) [@Fuzzy\_Dunlop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fuzzy_Dunlop)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2011, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pop3-v-imap-and-a-new-mac-email-client/593716/5 "2011-08-22T23:58:49Z")
> [@beowulff](#): > > I find it hard to believe that any email client doesn’t support POP3. > What client is it? Apple Mail 5.0 for OS X Lion. Seems easily fixable [Go Go Reviews: Getting POP Mail to work with 10.7 Lion - Fix](http://gogotechnology.blogspot.com/2011/07/getting-pop-mail-to-work-with-107-lion.html) Plus Apple will probably fix it really soon. They always correct some fairly major bugs within a month or so of releasing a new OS X version. ---
**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2011, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pop3-v-imap-and-a-new-mac-email-client/593716/6 "2011-08-23T00:05:46Z")
Did not know that. I use Lion, Mail 5.0, and have at least 5 POP mailboxes that I check from 3 different mail providers. I haven’t run into any problems yet. ---
**Author:** ![MeanJoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanjoe/32/5693_2.png) [@MeanJoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanJoe)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2011, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pop3-v-imap-and-a-new-mac-email-client/593716/7 "2011-08-23T14:51:25Z")
Yeah, same here. I’m using Mail 5.0 with Lion and have a POP3 account that works just fine. Me thinks you got some bad info there! ---
**Author:** ![Twoflower](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/twoflower/32/22_2.png) [@Twoflower](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Twoflower)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2011, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pop3-v-imap-and-a-new-mac-email-client/593716/8 "2011-08-23T15:02:53Z")
As for POP or IMAP, if you want to be able to check your email from more than one computer, use IMAP. If you want all your messages to download to your computer and be deleted from the mail server, use POP. Otherwise, there’s no difference at all in how to set them up & use them. I agree with everyone else that an IMAP-only client doesn’t sound right. Also, are there any mail services still out there that don’t do IMAP? ---
**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2011, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pop3-v-imap-and-a-new-mac-email-client/593716/9 "2011-08-23T15:23:57Z")
> [@Twoflower](#): > > I agree with everyone else that an IMAP-only client doesn’t sound right. Also, are there any mail services still out there that don’t do IMAP? When I tried to find out if Roadrunner provides IMAP for e-mail, all the sites I found seemed to be saying that Roadrunner only has POP3. I didn’t spend a lot of time digging into it. ---
**Author:** ![Stoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stoid/32/272_2.png) [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2011, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pop3-v-imap-and-a-new-mac-email-client/593716/10 "2011-08-23T17:32:30Z")
[Mailmate:](http://freron.com/) > [@](#): > > **MailMate** is an ambitious powerful email client for Mac OS X. It is designed for and only supports IMAP, ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2011, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pop3-v-imap-and-a-new-mac-email-client/593716/11 "2011-08-23T17:53:36Z")
> [@Stoid](#): > > [Mailmate:](http://freron.com/) Well, you’d better hope that all your email accounts support IMAP. Lots of web-based free email accounts (like Yahoo) don’t. You could set up gmail to retrieve from those accounts that only do POP. ---
**Author:** ![minor7flat5](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/minor7flat5/32/258_2.png) [@minor7flat5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minor7flat5)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2011, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pop3-v-imap-and-a-new-mac-email-client/593716/12 "2011-08-23T18:04:07Z")
Another vote for migrating off of POP3 wherever possible. These days it is so much more common to have multiple computers, an iPad or two, and an iPhone. With POP3, one of those devices grabs an incoming message, then the other devices can’t see it. With IMAP, you can see all of your email on all of your devices. And try to get rid of the Roadrunner accounts (ISP, right?). That way there is one less reason to stick with an Internet provider that is charging too much and/or providing poor service. I weaned my family off of Optimum Online accounts several years ago, switching everyone to Gmail. Last year when I finally decided to cut cable and go for FiOS, the change was seamless and I am happy. ---
**Author:** ![Steven25](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a4c791/32.png) [@Steven25](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steven25)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2011, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pop3-v-imap-and-a-new-mac-email-client/593716/13 "2011-08-25T01:20:37Z")
> [@minor7flat5](#): > > Another vote for migrating off of POP3 wherever possible. > > These days it is so much more common to have multiple computers, an iPad or two, and an iPhone. With POP3, one of those devices grabs an incoming message, then the other devices can’t see it. With IMAP, you can see all of your email on all of your devices. I couldn’t disagree with you more. Using IMAP and leaving messages on the server is just asking for trouble. Between the Chinese hacking Google, hackers hacking Hotmail with scripts, and other hacking incidents, why would anyone ever want to leave messages on someone’s server? If you want to access your messages from multiple computer, use a portable email client like TrulyMail Portable (run it from a USB stick). If you don’t care about others reading your messages, then I guess you don’t need to worry about it. I, however, do get information via email that I don’t want hackers to know about (like passwords to websites). ---
**Author:** ![minor7flat5](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/minor7flat5/32/258_2.png) [@minor7flat5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minor7flat5)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2011, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pop3-v-imap-and-a-new-mac-email-client/593716/14 "2011-08-25T03:22:06Z")
> [@Steven25](#): > > I couldn’t disagree with you more. We can agree to disagree then. Those problems are valid threats, which is why I use different passwords for each site and don’t keep their helpful “here is your password” emails. If someone hacks your email account, you have more things to worry about than them reading your mail—they will likely go to major shopping and banking sites and submit your address to the “I forgot my password” form. I try to use a strong password. I do prefer not to tie my messages to one machine and risk losing them to HD failure. And I would rather not carry a USB key with me. I want my mail on my iPhone and home machine, seamlessly. And that carries a price measured in risk. Now, I think I will go double check to make sure I got rid of any of those password emails. Perhaps change the password while I’m at it 🙂