Definition
💡 An email account is a user account that allows you to send and receive emails with an address ending with the service provider’s domain. When you create an email account, you provide your name and password (at minimum), then specify the username for the address which appears before the domain name (username@domain.com).
Example
Common service providers allow you to create a free email account including Gmail, Outlook, and Yahoo Mail. You then log into the website or app with your username and password to access your mailbox.What is an IMAP email account?
IMAP stands for Internet Messaging Access Protocol, is widely used, and supported by most email services.
This protocol uses two-way synchronization which allows users to access messages from a remote server with a computer or mobile device and see the same emails on all devices.
IMAP features:
- Users can log into multiple devices at the same time.
- Users can access the message archive from multiple devices.
- All emails (sent and received) are stored on the remote server, not the user’s device.
What is a POP3 email account?
POP3 stands for Post Office Protocol, is an older method, and becoming less supported across services.
This protocol uses one-way synchronization which requires users to download messages from a server to the email client and was designed to be used on just one computer.
With POP3, users cannot:
- Send emails from multiple devices.
- Set up folders on multiple devices.
- Mark messages as read on multiple devices.
- Receive emails as they arrive (push); the device must be set up to check the server for new messages regularly.
What to do before closing an email account
If you have an email account that you no longer want to use and completely close, be sure to do these things first:
- Save attachments like photos and files.
- Save messages you want to keep to your device or an online storage service.
- Replace the email address in all accounts with the new one for services like online banking, social media, shopping, and similar.
- Download your data from online email providers where available.
- Remember, once you close or delete an email account, you’ll no longer have access to any messages, attachments, folders, or other items.
