POP3
Download and delete
Moves your email off the server and onto one device.
IMAP vs POP3
September 27, 2026 · MailCore Pro · Support Info
Where does your email actually live? A guide to IMAP vs POP3.
Where does your email actually live?
Your email app can collect mail in one of two ways: POP3 or IMAP. They sound alike, but they behave very differently when you use more than one device. Press play and follow the same three emails through both.
IMAP
Keep it on the server
Leaves your email on the server and shows it on every device.
Ready when you are
Two ways to collect the same email
Why IMAP is the better choice for most people
With IMAP, your email apps are windows onto one mailbox, rather than separate buckets that each hold a different share of your mail.
Every device shows the same inbox
Your laptop, phone, tablet and work computer all see every email, not just whichever device happened to check first.
Read once, read everywhere
Open, delete or file an email on your phone and your laptop updates to match. No more clearing the same messages twice.
Lose a device, not your email
If a laptop breaks or a phone is stolen, your mail is still on the server. Sign in on a replacement and it all comes back.
Folders and sent mail follow you
Folders you create, and emails you send, appear on every device. Your phone’s sent items and your laptop’s sent items are one list.
Lighter on your phone
Your phone can show years of email without storing all of it, fetching older messages and attachments only when you open them.
Works from anywhere
Borrow a computer or use webmail while travelling and you’ll see exactly what you’d see at home.
Is POP3 ever the right choice?
Occasionally. If you only ever read email on one computer, want your own offline copy of everything, or have a very small mailbox allowance, POP3 can still make sense.
The trade-off is that the server stops being your safety net. Your emails are only as safe as that one computer and its backups.
One thing to know with IMAP: because your mail stays on the server, it counts towards your mailbox storage. Clearing out large old attachments now and then keeps you well within it.
How do I check which one I’m using?
Open your email app’s account settings and look at the incoming mail server. It will say IMAP or POP. Most modern apps choose IMAP automatically.
Switching from POP3? Your older emails may only exist on your computer. Don’t remove the old account until those emails have been copied back to the server or backed up. If you’re unsure, ask your email provider to help you move over safely.