What is IMAP mail?
IMAP stands for Internet Messaging Access Protocol. Unlike POP3, an IMAP server stores mail messages on the server. The IMAP client may view messages directly from the server, or download copies of the messages so that the user can read them and compose replies while offline. The main advantage of IMAP is that messages are stored on the server, so you can read your email from several different computers. The disadvantage is that because the messages stay on the server until you delete them, you will fill up your quota quickly.
Some Internet service providers (ISPs) offer mail accounts that use Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP). With an IMAP account, your incoming email remains on your ISP’s mail server until you delete it. You can read and manage your email from different locations. Your In, Out, Sent, and Trash mailboxes, plus any mailboxes you create, are visible to you no matter what computer you use to access your mail account, and you can work with your messages as if they were stored on your computer. For this reason, you may want to use an IMAP account if you usually read your email at more than one computer. You can control whether messages are stored on your local hard disk. For example, you can choose to download messages only when you read them, or download attachments only when you open a message. This can allow for better performance if you use a telephone modem to connect to the Internet. You can choose to keep a copy of your mail on your computer so you can work with it when you’re not c
