IMAP vs POP mail accounts

POP accounts are stored on your Mac; IMAP emails are stored on the ISP's server online and accessible from all of your devices - you will need to either save the emails in another folder or download them again. The decision is up to you; for instance, I prefer POP, so that is what I have (I have no need to access my mail from another device). If you want to test it, simply make the POP account inactive in your Mail preferences for the time being.

If you use POP email is downloaded to your device which first access the email account. If you use IMAP email is synchronized across all devices accessing the email account.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_Message_Access_Protocol

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Post_Office_Protocol

Thanks for responding. I have an iPhone and an iPad and both receive all my mail in both my IMAP and POP accounts so that would seem to contradict your answer. Try it for yourself.

I see you are a level 7 so I respect your opinion. What do you think is the difference now?

Sorry, so I should have used the word "device" rather than Mac. There is no change in the difference: POP is downloaded to your DEVICE; IMAP stays on the server and is available on all devices (you had asked what the difference is between the two). Here is some info:

https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080508122048AAyxtwd

http://email.cityu.edu.hk/faq/popimap.htm

This was a great question and I appreciate your time in explaining. I too am having this issue where after El Capitan install I found I have a "new" IMAP account in mail....I'm not exactly sure how that happened. I have the same question about POP vs. IMAP. Based on what you have commented, how is an IMAP acct. different from a POP acct. IF with a POP acct. I never delete emails that have just been downloaded to my "device"...they just always stay on the server until I am notified that I need to free up space....about once every two years I need to manually delete tens of thousands of emails 😟 If they always stay on the server it doesn't matter which device I access them from...or....which one first.

Am I still missing something?

A key difference is that with IMAP4 you know which messages have or have not been read whichever device you use to look at them. When using multiple POP3 email clients you often end up reading the same messages over and over. IMAP accounts are also likely to provide more storage since it is expected that you will leave messages on the server whereas with POP you are expected to download them to local storage and then delete from the server on a regular basis. IMAP also allows you to create folders to organize your messages into folders which are reflected in each client application and your sent message history will be available from any device, which is not the case with POP/SMTP.

tt2

Well, how long they stay on the server (if POP) depends on your ISP/email provider and your Mail app settings. Mine will delete POP emails after 30 days and I have my Mail preferences set to remove copy from server after one week (Mail Preferences > Accounts > Advanced. However, I've seen those overridden by the email provider's settings. With an IMAP account, they're kept on the server indefinitely (or until you're exceeding your storage space). I weed out/file my emails at least once a week.

Mr_Yo wrote:

This was a great question and I appreciate your time in explaining. I too am having this issue where after El Capitan install I found I have a "new" IMAP account in mail....I'm not exactly sure how that happened. I have the same question about POP vs. IMAP. Based on what you have commented, how is an IMAP acct. different from a POP acct. IF with a POP acct. I never delete emails that have just been downloaded to my "device"...they just always stay on the server until I am notified that I need to free up space....about once every two years I need to manually delete tens of thousands of emails 😟 If they always stay on the server it doesn't matter which device I access them from...or....which one first.

Am I still missing something?

Yes you are still missing something. You are missing the fundamental difference between IMAP and POP protocols. Read the links I and others have provided.