Trying to reconfigure earthlink mail account

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Level 1

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Trying to reconfigure earthlink mail account

Earthlink just added an IMAP server. I am trying to change my User Account from a POP to the IMAP and I can't do it manually.

OS - Yosemite 10.10.3

Mail - Version 8.2

If I "Add Account" it just assumes that I'm not really adding an account because I already have one set up. I have tried disabling the account and then adding. But all that achieves is re-enabling the account.

Do I need to "DELETE" the earthlink account? If I do that, will it delete everything I have in Mail? Would they delete if I ARCHIVE the messages?

Thanks.

iMac, OS X Yosemite (10.10.3), 2.8 GHz Intel Core i7

Posted on Apr 24, 2015 9:37 AM

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Answer 1

Best reply

Eric Root

Level 10

684,045 points

Apr 24, 2015 2:38 PM in response to Michele K.

Create an On My Mac mailbox, copy the e-mails to it, and then delete the account.

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Answer 2

Rysz

Level 8

44,391 points

Apr 24, 2015 2:53 PM in response to Michele K.

May I ask where you were informed of IMAP availability? I do not see any such info on Earthlink web site.

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Answer 3

Rysz

Level 8

44,391 points

Apr 24, 2015 3:43 PM in response to Rysz

Found it.

https://support.earthlink.net/articles/email/imap-email.php

Michele,

This page also has the setup instructions for iOS and Mac.

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Answer 4

Michele K. Author

Level 1

0 points

Apr 24, 2015 3:40 PM in response to Eric Root

Thanks Eric - this helped calm my fears about deleting the account!

Adding a new account OVERRIDE TRICK TO FORCE APPLE MAIL IN TO MANUAL MODE - follow these directions from the Earthlink Website regarding "Setting Up IMAP for your iPad/iPhone" - https://support.earthlink.net/articles/email/imap-email.php

This is exactly what you have to do on your desktop Apple Mail. Hope this helps anyone else trying to re-set their account.

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Answer 5

2yrold

Level 1

11 points

Apr 26, 2015 2:07 PM in response to Michele K.

With regards to:

Enter in your Name normally. When you get to your Email address, enter it normally but end it with “nnn” or any non-existent top level domain name you like. You will correct this in the next step. Enter your Password correctly. Create a Description name for this Email so you will recognize it in your iOS settings and then click Next. See the image below for an example.

I cannot get this to work. If I enter a fake email address to force Mac mail into allowing manual setup so that I can choose IMAP, it tries to connect using the fake email address, even though I subsequently correct the email address. Even afterwards, when I go back to account settings, it shows the correct email address, but Mail always asks for the password for the fake email address and will not connect to my real account.

If I create the account using the correct address from the start, it goes straight to a POP account with no option for me to change it to IMAP.

Apple and Earthlink apparently hate each other with a passion. Anyone have any more ideas?

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Answer 6

Michele K. Author

Level 1

0 points

Apr 27, 2015 1:48 AM in response to 2yrold

I have mindspring.com so what I did was entered "@mindspring.nnn" for the rest of my email address then I entered the correct password. This brought up the manual configure and I was able to enter in the info for the incoming and outgoing servers and correct the address. If I entered the correct email, yes then it would only setup as a POP3. Originally I entered a fake email with a ".com" and it didn't work. I wasn't getting the point that you had to change what came after the"." part.

Hahaha - "Apple and Earthlink apparently hate each other....." Personally I don't know why every human would NOT want an earthlink address. Their spam filtering is the best IMHO.

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Answer 7

B0b

Level 2

249 points

May 5, 2015 5:34 PM in response to Michele K.

earthlink yesterday changed the "trick" to switch to IMAP

they want you to use correct email address ie not the .NNN

but use a

Enter AN INCORRECT PASSWORD. as you set up the new accout

after trying to log in you will get a manual set up option window where you select IMAP or POP

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Answer 8

kahjot

Level 4

2,462 points

May 5, 2015 11:27 PM in response to B0b

Very useful info in this discussion. I am very happy that Earthlink is finally providing IMAP support. Not so happy that Mail in Mavericks forces us into the false password workaround, by not providing the configuration options that exist in Snow Leopard. Does everything have to be dumbed down?

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Answer 9

Applegan

Level 1

8 points

Jul 21, 2016 11:23 PM in response to B0b

the most ingenious answer!!! No one at Apple knows this and Earthlink said that it could not be done. July 21, 2016

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