SMTP, POP, and IMAP Settings for Office 365 – Detailed Guide

Updated On - November 9, 2023 by Savita Sharma |

Reading Time: 8 minutes

In today’s digital age, email has become an essential part of our communication, both personally and professionally. But, beneath the seamless exchange of messages lies a complex web of protocols that make it all possible. If you’ve ever wondered about the inner workings of your email account, you’re in the right place.

In this blog post, we board on a journey into the heart of email communication, unraveling the distinct roles and functionalities of three essential protocols: SMTP, POP, and IMAP. Doesn’t matter if you are an experienced email user or just a beginner. By the end of this guide, you’ll have a clear understanding of how these protocols shape your email experience and empower you to make choices about managing your electronic correspondence. So, let’s dive in and demystify the world of email protocols together.

This post will educate you on the features and advantages of an Office 365 subscription. You can join by selecting the advanced option or manually supplying the details when the Office 365 user wants to link their account with the Outlook application. The user must do SMTP, POP, and IMAP settings for Office 365 for manual connections.

SMTP, POP, and IMAP Settings for Office 365

Users of Office 365 can set up their accounts in Outlook and gain instantaneous access to their inboxes. Customers can choose from various protocols while setting up their accounts, including IMAP, POP, SMTP, and Office 365. Unfortunately, many people are unaware of the need to understand server configuration settings. Since they are human, mistakes are made, and the account is not linked. In this article, we will compare and contrast SMTP, IMAP, and POP, as well as discuss the configurations of Office 365 and a few widely used email clients.

Although there are many advantages to using IMAP, POP, and SMTP email servers, many users are unfamiliar with their configuration options. Here, we’ll go over the key distinctions between SMTP, POP, and IMAP settings for Office 3565 as well as the recommended configurations for Office 365 and a few other widely used email clients.

What is the SMTP Protocol?

If you want to send an email from your computer to another server, you’ll need to utilize a protocol called Simple Mail Transfer Protocol, or SMTP; the program’s name does this. Unlike IMAP and POP, SMTP’s main purpose is not to store or retrieve messages. Although SMTP typically operates on port 25, it also supports ports 587 and 465. Many companies continue to use secure SMTP.

What is the POP3 Protocol?

The Post Office Protocol (POP) is the standard method for transferring messages between an email server and a client program. POP3 is the most recent version supported by almost all email clients. Various authentication methods and add-ons are both supported. One way a POP client can get at your messages is by:

• Port 110 and 995 are for SSL/TLS communications to the email server.
• Emails are retrieved
• User disconnects from the server
• Deleting all server backups of their emails.

POP clients are also set up so the server can keep a backup copy of any downloaded messages.

What is the IMAP Protocol?

IMAP, especially the latest version, IMAP4, is a more complicated protocol. To keep track of which emails have been read, replied to, and deleted, IMAP clients provide message flags. Users can even search within the inboxes stored on the server.

The following describes how the IMAP email server functions:

• Utilizes TCP port 143 for normal email connections and TCP port 993 for secure SSL/TLS communications
• Retrieval of Emails
• Disconnection from Server When Email Client Is Closed

If you use IMAP, know that your messages and emails will remain on the server until you manually delete them.

How to Setup Office 365 Using IMAP, POP3, and SMTP

Outlook or Outlook on the web is how most Office 365 users log in. As a result, you’ll need data like the account type, server names, SSL and port settings, and so on to add any account to Outlook. The email service provider themselves typically provides these details, but we’ve included them here, along with those for the most popular services and Office 365 for your convenience. Locate first:

SMTP Settings:

Server: smtp.office365.com
Port: 587
Encryption: STARTTLS
Authentication: Basic Authentication
User Name: Your Office 365 email address
Password: Your Office 365 email password

POP Settings:

Server: outlook.office365.com
Port: 995
Encryption: SSL
Authentication: Basic Authentication
User Name: Your Office 365 email address
Password: Your Office 365 email password

IMAP Settings:

Server: outlook.office365.com
Port: 993
Encryption: SSL
Authentication: Basic Authentication
User Name: Your Office 365 email address
Password: Your Office 365 email password

Choosing Between SMTP, IMAP, and POP: Some Things to Think About

Choosing between SMTP, IMAP, and POP (Post Office Protocol) depends on your specific email needs and how you want to access and manage your email. These three protocols serve different purposes in the world of email communication. Let’s explore each one and the scenarios in which they are typically used:

SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol)

SMTP is used for sending outgoing email messages from your email client or application to an email server. It’s responsible for the transmission of email from your device to the recipient’s email server.

Use Cases:

• Sending emails from your email client (e.g., Outlook, Thunderbird, Apple Mail).
• Sending emails from your application, such as a website contact form or a notification system.

IMAP (Internet Message Access Protocol)

IMAP is used for retrieving email messages from a mail server. It allows you to view, organize, and manage your emails while leaving them stored on the server. Changes you make (read, delete, move) are synchronized across devices.

Use Cases:

When you want to access your emails from multiple devices (e.g., phone, tablet, computer) and want them to stay in sync.

• When you want to store emails on a remote server, freeing up local storage space.
• If you prefer a consistent email experience across various email clients.
• If you want to access your email from different devices.
• Changes you will make on the email client will reflect on the server

POP (Post Office Protocol)

POP downloads email messages from a mail server to a single device. Unlike IMAP, it typically deletes messages from the server after downloading them to the device.

Use Cases:

• When you primarily access your email from one device and want to store messages locally.
• When you have limited server storage space, and you want to clear your mailbox by downloading and deleting messages from the server.
• If you have a slow or unreliable internet connection and want to avoid the constant syncing of IMAP.

Here are some considerations to help you choose between these protocols:

• If you want to access your emails from multiple devices and keep them synchronized, IMAP is a better choice.
• If you primarily use one device and prefer to keep emails locally, POP may be suitable, but be cautious about losing emails if your device fails.
• SMTP is necessary for sending emails from any device or application.

In many cases, email providers support both IMAP and POP, allowing you to choose the one that best suits your needs. Additionally, some email clients and applications may automatically configure these settings for you, simplifying the process. With these choices, you should be able to choose which email server is best for your needs.

Professional way

It is always a wise decision to keep a backup of your email data to deal with worsened situations or get easy access to your data. Also, after having a backup, you can free up space from the email server by achieving. However, you will need the assistance of a professional program, such as the Regain Email Backup tool, to back up your email to have a copy.

• This utility can easily back up all of your email from an email client.
• Multiple prominent file formats are available to save emails. E.g. PST, MBOX, EML, EMLX.
• You can also do selective backup by applying a filter.
• This utility has an interactive as well as user-friendly GUI that makes it easy to use.
• It is compatible with all the versions of Windows O.S.
• You will proper folder hierarchy and data structure in the target file format. Data integrity remains intact.
• With the tool, you also get free technical support as well as a free trial. Simply download the tool and give it a try.

Along with providing an advanced utility for email backup from clients/servers, if you want to back your Office 365 mailboxes; we also have a professional tool. Regain Software has the one-stop professional solution for all your email backup-related tasks.

Free Download100% Secure Buy NowPrice: $69

How to Back up IMAP Emails in a Professional Way?

• Install and open the Regain Email Backup software.
• Login to your email account by entering all the required credentials.
• Now click on the Login Now.
• You will get a preview of the mailbox. Here, you can be assured about the data. Click Next.
• Next select the file format in which you want to take backup.
  
• The mailbox backup process will start. And sooner you will get a completion message.
  

Final Words:
All of the confusion about configuring SMTP, POP and IMAP Settings for Office 365 has been discussed in this blog. Also, a utility to backup IMAP emails as well as a utility to backup Office 365 mailbox is mentioned in this write-up. You can easily and quickly accomplish your goal by using flexible filtering and mapping options in the Regain tool. You also get a free trial version to experience the tool’s processing.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Q1. What is Office 365, and why would I need to configure SMTP, POP, and IMAP settings for Office 365?
Ans. Office 365, now known as Microsoft 365, is a suite of cloud-based business solutions by Microsoft. You need to configure SMTP, POP, and IMAP settings to link your Office 365 account with email clients like Outlook for manual access to your emails.

Q2. What are SMTP, POP, and IMAP, and how do they differ from each other?
Ans. SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) is for sending emails, while POP (Post Office Protocol) and IMAP (Internet Message Access Protocol) are for receiving and managing emails. IMAP keeps emails on the server, while POP typically downloads them to your device.

Q3. How do I choose between IMAP and POP for my email needs?
Ans. The choice depends on factors like server storage space, accessibility from multiple devices, synchronization, and privacy. IMAP is ideal for syncing across devices, while POP might be preferred if you want to download and delete emails from the server.

Q4. Can I transition from an IMAP account to Office 365?
Ans. Yes, you can transition from an IMAP account to Office 365. Tools like Regain Email Backup can help you move your IMAP data to Office 365 efficiently.

Q5. Is Regain Email Backup the only tool available for transitioning from IMAP to Office 365?
Ans. While Regain Email Backup is one option, there are other migration tools and services available as well. But, Regain Email Backup is one the best tool recommend by the professional. You can download the free demo version and check by own.