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Set Up Windows Mail for Your E-Mail Account

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You can connect Windows Mail for Windows Vista to your e-mail account using POP3 or IMAP4 connectivity.

How do I set up Windows Mail for access to my e-mail account?

  1. Start Windows Mail. The Internet Connection Wizard runs the first time it's opened. If the Internet Connection Wizard doesn't run when you first start the program, do the following:

    1. On the Tools menu, click Accounts.

    2. In the Internet Accounts dialog box, click Add.

    3. On the Select Account Type page, click E-mail Account, and then click Next.

  2. On the Your Name page, enter your full name in the Display name box.

  3. On the Internet E-mail Address page, enter your e-mail address in the E-mail address box, and then click Next.

  4. On the Set up e-mail servers page, select IMAP or POP3 under Incoming e-mail server type on the drop-down menu. You might want to use IMAP because it supports more features. Do the following:

    1. Under Incoming mail (POP3 or IMAP) server, enter the IMAP or POP server name. For information about how to find your incoming (POP3 or IMAP4) server name, see How do I find the server settings? later in this topic.

    2. Under Outgoing e-mail server (SMTP) name, enter the SMTP server name. For information about how to find your outgoing (SMTP) server name, see How do I find the server settings? later in this topic.

    3. Select the check box next to Outgoing server requires authentication, and then click Next.

  5. On the Internet Mail Logon page, enter your e-mail address and password. If you want Windows Mail to remember your password, select the check box next to Remember password. After you've entered this information, click Next.

  6. On the Congratulations page, select the one of the following check boxes, and then click Finish.

    • If you're using IMAP4, the check box text says Do not download my e-mail and folders at this time.

    • If you're using POP3, the check box text says Do not download my e-mail at this time.

  7. On the Internet Accounts page, under Mail, select the account you just set up, and then click Properties.

    Note

    To open the Internet Accounts page, on the Tools menu, click Accounts.

  8. On the Properties page for your account, click the Advanced tab, and do the following:

    1. Under Server Port Numbers, locate Outgoing mail (SMTP). Under that, select the check box next to This server requires a secure connection (SSL).

    2. Under Incoming mail (IMAP) or Incoming mail (POP3), select the check box next to This server requires a secure connection (SSL).

    3. If you're using POP3, it's a good idea to set up your client to keep a copy of the messages that you download to your local computer on the server. To do this, click Leave a copy of messages on server under Delivery. This lets you access your messages from a different e-mail program.

    4. Click Apply, and then click OK.

  9. On the Internet Accounts page, click Close.

  10. If you're using IMAP4, you are prompted to download folders from the mail server you added. Click Yes. Use the Windows Mail user interface to select which folders you want to synchronize between the server and your local computer, and then click OK.

How do I find the server settings?

Before you set up a POP3 or IMAP4 e-mail program, you need to look up your own POP3, IMAP4, and SMTP server settings.

Watch this video to learn how to find your server settings for your POP or IMAP e-mail program.

To find your server settings, sign in to your e-mail account using Outlook Web App. After you sign in, click Options > See All Options > Account > My Account > Settings for POP, IMAP, and SMTP access. The POP3, IMAP4, and SMTP server name and other settings you may need to enter are listed on the Protocol Settings page under POP setting or IMAP setting, and SMTP setting.

Note

If you see Not available next to POP setting, IMAP setting, and SMTP setting, your account may not be set up to use POP or IMAP e-mail programs. For more information, contact the person who manages your e-mail account.

What else do I need to know?

  • For information about how to use Windows Mail, see the Help documentation provided with Windows Mail.

  • If you don't know whether to use POP3 or IMAP4, consider using IMAP4 because it supports more features.

  • If your e-mail account is the type that requires registration, you must register it the first time you sign in to Outlook Web App. Connecting to your e-mail account through POP3 or IMAP4 will fail if you haven't registered your account through Outlook Web App. After you sign in to your account, sign out. Then try to connect using your POP3 or IMAP4 program. For more information about how to sign in to your account using Outlook Web App, see How to Sign In to Outlook Web App. If you have trouble signing in, see FAQs: Sign-in and Password Issues or contact the person who manages your e-mail account.

  • If Windows Mail doesn't connect after you follow these steps, you might have to verify that you're using the correct authentication setting. You can check this by doing the following:

    1. On the Tools menu, click Accounts.

    2. On the Internet Accounts page, select your account, and then click Properties.

    3. On the Properties page for your account, click the Servers tab, and make sure that Log on using Secure Password Authentication isn't selected.

What if I want to know more?