New version of outlook IMAP or POP3?

[#1]

Sorted out my Freenetname mail password issues mentioned in an earlier thread. The reason this came up is due to Windows mail prompting me to go to the new version of Outlook. Currently I believe I link to Freenetname mail  via IMAP through Windows mail. If I want to change to a POP3 connection should try to migrate the existing IMAP link, then delete the account and reinstate it using POP3? Or can I add a new POP3 account in tandem until I see them both work then delete the IMAP version?

Thanks

[#2]

Why are you considering POP3?

If you have previously used IMAP and / or you want to access the mailbox on multiple devices, switching to or introducing POP3 into the mix is not a wise choice.

[#3]

I read a thread you replied on where you briefly explained the difference between POP3 and IMAP and it seemed to answer a few issues I experienced in the past. I do not have huge email traffic through this mailbox and I tend to delete deleted messages quite regularly, so do not need huge storage. I have an old device that, I believe, connects outlook to this mailbox via POP3 and I notice that if I ever open outlook on this device all my messages disappear on my newer laptop running Windows 10 mailbox, which I believe connects using IMAP. So I am thinking that I should update this newer laptop to a POP3 connection then I can finally retire the old laptop once and for all.

[#4]

More than one device accessing a mailbox and a mailbox having been used in IMAP mode somewhat dictates continuing to use IMAP mode.

To be blunt I see no merit at all in using POP3 for it causes more problems than it is deemed by some to solve. SENT items are only stored on the device which sent them, therefore not all devices have the same view of what has been sent and as in this case there’s a real risk of losing your sent item history when retiring an old POP3 configured device. Similarly received items are stored locally and thus also risk being lost … if you do not know how to transfer them from on machine to another.

IMAP is functionally richer - everything is on the server inbox, sent items and folders you might have used to organise your email history. All devices (generally) see the same view of the mailbox. POP3 only sees the inbox folder, so anything sent by an IMAP client or content moved to a folder is not visible to a POP3 client.

POP3 is paraded as the “solution” to avoiding full mailboxes on the server … rather than applying proper tidy regular house keeping. You suggest that you do the latter, thus I suggest you do not need the unhelpful complications of POP3.

[#5]

Just a minor detail, as someone who has used a mixture of POP and IMAP across multiple devices.

In MOST cases it's perfectly possible to set up a POP client to retrieve new emails and also leave them on the server so that IMAP clients can still get them. I ran some of my accounts that way for several years.

Obviously you do have to apply some rigour to inbox management, but as the discussion in another thread indicates, not many people bother with that anyway!

I tended to use POP on my main desktop PC and use that as the "master" that held long-term copies of items I wanted to keep. I also backed up the email storage on that system regularly.

[#6]

Similar setup, POP3 on desktop, IMAP on mobile devices..

[#7]

It can be done but you really need to know what you are doing and manage things with great care. It will not work if the IMAP devices have used sub folders … and the coherent management of sent items needs thought.

Send to self seems to have been something of a fudge to ensure that mail sent by disparate clients ends up in the inbox to deal with the limitations of POP3 clients.

Better proactive housekeeping is invariably better than “abandoning” the same to old technology … POP is the original email client protocol for the days of a single computer (nailed to the desk) accessing a mailbox. The world has moved on a good way since then.

[#8]

Ultimately I will only use one device going forward, which would be my current Windows 10 laptop, using Windows Mail via IMAP. Right now when I use it I dont see any sent messages or deleted messages in the folders and there is no junk mail folder at all. I was hoping that going the POP3 route would iron out those problems or am I simply confusing different functionality between Windows "Mail" and "Outlook"? 

[#9]

With the POP3 set up on your old laptop all folders are local to that device, not the mail server.  Setting up the new device as POP3 will NOT get what is on the old device onto the new device.

The old "Windows Mail" program is a pig of a product, frankly an unwise choice for friendly operation.

When you refer to "Outlook" which variation of "outlook" do you mean?  There is "proper Outlook (aka Outlook 365) and there is the replacement for Win10 Mail (Free) "Outlook" which looks prettier but not much better.

I am not a fan of those products or POP3 so I have minimal experience of the practicalities doing what I think you want to do.  Moving POP3 stored message from one device to another AND changing email client is a pig of an exercise ... yet more good reasons to keep things simple and use IMAP applying goo housekeeping practices.

This might help - how do i move the data from my windows mail account, that came with - Microsoft Community

[#10]

My old device is still running Windows Vista....................

When I bought this laptop the Windows Mail wizard gave me access to my Freenetname mailbox with very little input/understanding on my part. I simply kept the old laptop as backup for email access in case something went wrong.

I do not even have Microsoft Office on this laptop, so I assume we are just talking about Windows mail, which Windows is now trying to get me to update to the new version, with the associated IMAP "password" requests, when I go through the wizard, as mentioned in other threads.

I basically have no stored messages that  absolutely have to be moved and I would essentially be starting from scratch.

Unfortunately, for you fine people, what I do have is lots of time on my hands to finally try and understand how all this stuff works!