Setting Windows Live Mail to use IMAP
With Windows Live Mail, you can optionally use IMAP connections for reading incoming mail. Using IMAP (instead of the more widely used "POP3") allows you to keep your messages on our servers instead of downloading them to your computer.
Keeping your messages on our servers can be useful if you read mail two completely different ways. For example, if you use both Windows Live Mail and Webmail, each program will know what messages you've read, and the two programs will share a single "sent mail" folder on the server. (If you always read mail using a single copy of Windows Live Mail, using IMAP won't make a difference and probably isn't worth the effort.)
This page assumes that you have already followed the basic instructions to set up Windows Live Mail and chosen the IMAP option instead of POP. If you have not chosen IMAP you will need to go through the instructions again and choose "IMAP" instead of "POP3".
Configuring IMAP
To configure IMAP, you will:
- Open the Properties settings window for your mail account.
- Set the root folder path and specify folders for storing your drafts, deleted messages, and copies of sent messages.
1. Start the Windows Live Mail program.
Start Windows Live Mail via the Start button or other link.
When Windows Live Mail opens, click Tools, then Accounts from the menu bar. (If the program's menu bar is not visible, hold down the Alt key and press the letter T, then release both keys.)
2. The "Accounts" window appears.
Highlight the e-mail account you wish to change and click Properties.
The "Properties" window appears:
You should not need to change any of the settings on the General tab.
3. Set the IMAP folders.
Click the IMAP tab, then:
- Enter Inbox for the "Root folder path".
- Check the box marked "Check for new messages in all folders".
To have Windows Live Mail save drafts, deleted messages, and copies of sent messages on the IMAP server (rather than on your PC), set the following options:
- Check the box marked "Store special folders on IMAP server". (Otherwise, drafts, deleted, and sent messages will be stored on your local hard disk -- which is called "Storage Folders" by Windows Live Mail).
- Enter Sent for the "Sent Items Path".
- Enter Drafts for the "Drafts path".
- Enter Trash for the "Deleted Items path".
- You can leave the "Junk path" set to whatever folder name you desire.
The values Sent, Drafts, and Trash are case-sensitive.
5. Close the setup windows.
Click OK to close the Properties window, then click Close to close the Accounts window. If Windows Live then asks you whether you would like to refresh your folder list choose Yes.
Windows Live Mail is now setup to use IMAP!
You're finished! Try sending yourself a test e-mail message to make sure it works.