how to change the Mail settings within POP account settings when adding a new account to Classic Outlook

Lyn Whitesmith 20 Reputation points
2026-07-11T16:55:38.2266667+00:00

I am setting up Classic outlook 2024 on a new Laptop and when I add an account I want to make sure that the emails down loaded are not deleted from the server. I can change the settings once the account is set up but it has already deleted all emails older than 14 days from the server. How do I access this setting during the account setup?

I do not want any emails deleted from the server during setup in outlook.

Outlook | Windows | Classic Outlook for Windows | For home
Answer accepted by question author
Alice-N 13,375 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
2026-07-12T00:45:37.9566667+00:00

Hi Lyn Whitesmith

Please try the steps below

1) Do not finish the automatic Outlook setup wizard if it starts downloading mail immediately

If Classic Outlook’s first-run setup does not let you adjust the POP delivery settings before the first send/receive, cancel that setup and create the POP account through Control Panel > Mail instead.

2) Create the POP account through Mail in Control Panel

  • Close Outlook.
  • Open Control Panel.
  • Search for Mail and open Mail (Microsoft Outlook).
  • Select Show Profiles.
  • Select Add to create a new profile, or select the existing profile if you are adding the account there.
  • Choose Email Accounts > New.
  • Select Manual setup or additional server types.
  • Select POP or IMAP.
  • Enter the account and server details from your email provider.
  • Before finishing, select More Settings > Advanced.

3) Change the POP Delivery settings before the first download

In More Settings > Advanced, under Delivery:

  • Check Leave a copy of messages on the server.
  • Clear Remove from server after 14 days.
  • If you do not want Outlook to remove server copies when you delete messages locally, also clear Remove from server when deleted from “Deleted Items”.
  • Select OK, then finish the account setup.

For POP accounts, the Leave a copy of messages on the server option is available under File > Account Settings > Account Settings > Change > More Settings > Advanced.

4) If the account was already added and downloaded mail

  • Open File > Account Settings > Account Settings.
  • Select the POP account.
  • Select Change > More Settings > Advanced.
  • Apply the same Delivery settings above.
  • Restart Outlook.

5) If messages were already removed from the provider’s server

Outlook can stop future deletions after the setting is corrected, but it may not be able to put already-removed messages back onto the provider’s server.

Please check the email provider’s:

  • Webmail inbox
  • Trash/Deleted folder
  • Recovery tools
  • Backup or export options

6) Consider IMAP if the goal is to keep mail on the server

If your email provider supports IMAP, using IMAP is usually safer when the same mailbox is used on multiple devices. IMAP and HTTP accounts keep mail on the server until the user deletes it, while POP accounts download email to the computer.

You can also refer to Microsoft’s article here: Leave a copy of the message on the server is missing in Outlook | Microsoft Support

Please tell me how it goes. If the problem persists, please reply with whether you are able to open Control Panel > Mail (Microsoft Outlook) and whether this is the first account in a new Outlook profile.

Please tell me how it goes. If the problem persists, please don’t hesitate to reply to this thread and I will be happy to help. Have a lovely day!  

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  1. Lyn Whitesmith 20 Reputation points
    2026-07-13T15:39:02.2+00:00

    Thank you Alice for the detailed instructions and I was able to follow them to the letter and I have now got all our email accounts on the new pc, in outlook classic without any deletions.

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