POP3 and IMAP are two different protocols (or methods) which are used to access emails.

Of the two protocols, IMAP is the much more convenient option - as well as the recommended option - when you need to check your emails from multiple devices, such as from a work laptop, a home computer, or a tablet, smartphone, or other mobile device. With IMAP, you can access your emails anywhere.

POP3 on the other hand, downloads emails from a server to a single computer, and then deletes them from the server. Therefore, since your messages are downloaded to a single computer or device and then immediately deleted from the server, it can appear as though emails are missing or disappearing from your Inbox if you try to check your email from a different computer.

To check whether you have an IMAP email account or a POP3 email account, follow these simple steps below:

• Click on the Mailbird Menu in the top lefthand corner (i.e. the three horizontal lines)
• Now click on Settings
• Then click on Accounts
• Finally, double-click on the email account you are interested in, and have a look at the port number.
  • 995 and 110 are the ports for POP3. All other port numbers are IMAP.

Hopefully you found this article helpful, but if you still require assistance, then don't hesitate to contact our friendly Customer Happiness Team!

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