IMAP

Internet Message Access Protocol allows getting access to a personal email box wherever you are. And mostly this access performs by means of the Internet. As a matter of fact, the email messages are kept on the server and every time you check messages your email client connects with the server to show the incoming messages. When you read the email message using IMAP, you do not upload and keep it on your computer but read it right from the server. That is why you can check your email box from different devices without any risk of losing information.

How does it work?

The easiest way to understand how IMAP works is to think of it as a conductor between an email client and an email server. The mail servers are always used to send and receive messages. With IMAP, the messages remain on the server until you delete them. When logging into the email client such as Microsoft Outlook, it connects with the email server using IMAP.

IMAP allows you to access, organize, read, and sort messages without downloading them to your computer. As a result such a protocol appears to be very fast and efficient. The server also contains the records of all sent messages, allowing you to access them wherever you are.

Main advantages

• A possibility to check your email anywhere in the world and from any possible device;
• It loads only the message that you are going to read, and not all incoming messages at the same time. No need to wait for all other messages to be downloaded from the server;
• The applications are not uploaded automatically, i.e. you can view messages faster and not block up the device memory;
• IMAP can be used offline.