SWITCHING FROM POP TO IMAP
Why switch?
Use of IMAP allows you to manage your e-mail messages centrally (on the ACS server) from any IMAP-configured mail client, including Horde, BU's Web-based mail program. It is required on the more modern ACS servers. If you are still using POP and wish to benefit from a significantly larger mail quota and centralized filtering, you should switch to use of IMAP.
For a better understanding of IMAP, and why you should use it, please see our Understanding IMAP page.
Instructions for Web-based mail services
If you have configured a non-BU Web-based mail service (e.g. Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail) to use POP in order to download mail from BU, you should remove that setting using the interface provided by the service. If you wish to, you can instead forward mail from BU to that Web-based service as described at www.bu.edu/pcsc/email/configure/forwarding/.
Instructions for desktop mail clients
If you have configured a desktop mail client or clients to use POP, you will need to change that setting, as described below. Note that you do not need to delete the current/POP Account in your mail program! In fact, if you do, it could make things more complicated by removing access to your existing local messages.*
Instead, carefully follow these instructions to:
- deactivate the POP account (while still keeping it as an archive of previous messages) and
- configure your mail client to read via IMAP
Mozilla Thunderbird
Windows Mail/Outlook Express
Entourage
Outlook 2007
Outlook XP or 2003
OS X Mail
General instructions for use with any mail program
1. Launch Thunderbird
2. Choose from the menu Tools->Account Settings
3. Make sure the POP account is the one
you have selected to work on and click on Server Settings.
NOTE:
If you find only an IMAP account (acs-imap.bu.edu) and not one
using POP (acs-pop.bu.edu) then you might be all set and should
not make any changes.
4. Deselect the options to Check for new messages at startup and Check for new messages every X minutes.
6. Click on OK.
7. Next, go to Tools-Options and click on the Privacy tab. Click on View Saved Passwords and remove the password associated with the POP Account. Then click on Close and OK.
8. Next, choose File-Exit to quit out of Thunderbird.
9. Launch Thunderbird again. If you are prompted for a password (you shouldn't be) don't give it -- instead click on Cancel. (If you were prompted for a password, please repeat the steps above to make sure you did them correctly.)
10. Now that your POP account has been disabled, you can go ahead and set up your new IMAP account. As described on the page at www.bu.edu/pcsc/email/configure, BU's IMAP server is acs-imap.bu.edu and you should use that with SSL (port 993).
11. You should be all set once you have set that up. If you wish to upload specific messages from your old/local Inbox into your new ACS Inbox (so they will be available from elsewhere) you can do that simply by dragging them. Please be selective in doing that, however, as your Inbox is now subject to quota restrictions so you don't want to overload it. It's probably best to move messages a few at a time and to take only still-useful messages that you really need to access centrally.
12. If you have ever created any folders on the server (for example, with Horde) you should now see those folders listed. If you don't see them, it should help to go to File-Subscribe and make sure they are listed.
1. Launch the mail client
2. Choose from the menu Tools-Accounts,
select the POP account (which is probably named
acs-pop.bu.edu) and click on Properties
NOTE: If you find only an IMAP account (acs-imap.bu.edu) and
not one using POP (acs-pop.bu.edu) then you might be all set
and should not make any changes.
3. On the General tab deselect the option for Include this account when receiving mail or synchronizing AND THEN on the Servers tab, deselect the option for Remember password.
4. Click on OK and Close.
5. Choose File-Exit to quit out of OE.
6. Launch OE again and, if you are prompted for a password (you shouldn't be) don't give it -- instead click on Cancel. (If you were prompted for a password, please repeat the steps above to make sure you did them correctly.)
7. Now that your old/POP account has been disabled, you can go ahead and set up your new IMAP account. As described on the page at www.bu.edu/pcsc/email/configure, BU's IMAP server is acs-imap.bu.edu and you should use that with SSL (port 993).
8. You should be all set once you have set that up. If you wish to upload specific messages from your old/local Inbox into your new ACS Inbox (so they will be available from elsewhere) you can do that simply by dragging them. Please be selective in doing that, however, as your Inbox is now subject to quota restrictions so you don't want to overload it. It's probably best to move messages a few at a time and to take only still-useful messages that you really need to access centrally.
9. If you have ever created any folders on the server (for example, with Horde) you should now see those folders listed. If you don't see them, it should help to go to Tools-IMAP Folders and make sure they are listed.
1. Launch Entourage
2. Choose Tools-Accounts
3. Make sure the name of your incoming
pop server is selected and then click on the Edit
button.
NOTE: If you find only an IMAP account (acs-imap.bu.edu) and
not one using POP (acs-pop.bu.edu) then you might be all set
and should not make any changes.
4. Deselect both the Save password option and the option to Include this account in my "Send & Receive All" schedule.
5. Click on OK and Close the Accounts window.
6. Choose Entourage-Quit Entourage.
7. Launch Entourage again.
8. Now that your old/POP account has been disabled, you can go ahead and set up your new IMAP account. As described on the page at www.bu.edu/pcsc/email/configure, BU's IMAP server is acs-imap.bu.edu and you should use that with SSL (port 993).
9. You should be all set once you have set that up. If you wish to upload specific messages from your old/local Inbox into your new ACS Inbox (so they will be available from elsewhere) you can do that simply by dragging them. Please be selective in doing that, however, as your Inbox is now subject to quota restrictions so you don't want to overload it. It's probably best to move messages a few at a time and to take only still-useful messages that you really need to access centrally.
1. Launch Outlook
2. Choose from the menu Tools-Account Settings
3. Make sure the name of your POP server
is selected (most likely this will be acs-pop.bu.edu) and then
click on the Change button.
NOTE: If you find only an IMAP account (acs-imap.bu.edu) and
not one using POP (acs-pop.bu.edu) then you might be all set
and should not make any changes.
4. Remove the check mark next to "Remember password."
5. Click on Next and then on Finish and Close.
6. Next, go to Tools-Options-Mail Setup and click on Send/Receive.
7. Click on Edit, select the POP account (probably named acs-pop.bu.edu) and deselect the option for Include the selected account in this group. Then click on OK, Close and OK.
8. Choose File-Exit to quit out of Outlook.
9. Launch Outlook again and, if you are prompted for a password for that account (you shouldn't be) don't give it -- instead click on Cancel. (If you were prompted for a password, please repeat the steps above to make sure you did them correctly.)
10. Now that your old/POP account has been disabled, you can go ahead and set up your new IMAP account. As described on the page at www.bu.edu/pcsc/email/configure, BU's IMAP server is acs-imap.bu.edu and you should use that with SSL (port 993).
11. You should be all set once you have set that up. If you wish to upload specific messages from your old/local Inbox into your new ACS Inbox (so they will be available from elsewhere) you can do that simply by dragging them. Please be selective in doing that, however, as your Inbox is now subject to quota restrictions so you don't want to overload it. It's probably best to move messages a few at a time and to take only still-useful messages that you really need to access centrally.
12. If you have ever created any folders on the server (for example, with Horde) you should now see those folders listed. If you don't see them, it should help to go to Go- Folder List and make sure they are listed.
1. Launch Outlook
2. Choose from the menu Tools-Email Accounts
3. Make sure the option to "View or change existing e-mail accounts" is selected and then click on Next.
4. Make sure the name of your POP server
is selected (most likely this will be acs-pop.bu.edu) and then
click on the Change button.
NOTE: If you find only an IMAP account (acs-imap.bu.edu) and
not one using POP (acs-pop.bu.edu) then you might be all set
and should not make any changes.
5. Remove the check mark next to "Remember password."
6. Click on Next and then on Finish.
7. Next, go to Tools-Options-Mail Setup and click on Send/Receive.
8. Click on Edit, select the POP account (probably named acs-pop.bu.edu) and deselect the option for Include the selected account in this group. Then click on OK, Close and OK.
9. Choose File-Exit to quit out of Outlook.
10. Launch Outlook again and, if you are prompted for a password for that account (you shouldn't be) don't give it -- instead click on Cancel. (If you were prompted for a password, please repeat the steps above to make sure you did them correctly.)
11. Now that your old/POP account has been disabled, you can go ahead and set up your new IMAP account. As described on the page at www.bu.edu/pcsc/email/configure, BU's IMAP server is acs-imap.bu.edu and you should use that with SSL (port 993).
12. You should be all set once you have set that up. If you wish to upload specific messages from your old/local Inbox into your new ACS Inbox (so they will be available from elsewhere) you can do that simply by dragging them. Please be selective in doing that, however, as your Inbox is now subject to quota restrictions so you don't want to overload it. It's probably best to move messages a few at a time and to take only still-useful messages that you really need to access centrally.
13. If you have ever created any folders on the server (for example, with Horde or SilkyMail) you should now see those folders listed. If you don't see them, it should help to go to Go- Folder List and make sure they are listed.
1. Launch Mail
2. Go to Mail-Preferences and select the POP Account that you need to disable.
NOTE: If you find only an IMAP account (acs-imap.bu.edu) and
not one using POP (acs-pop.bu.edu) then you might be all set
and should not make any changes.
3. Remove the password by deleting the dots that represent it.
4. Click on the Advanced tab and deselect the option for Enable this account and also deselect the option for Include when automatically checking for new mail.
4. Close the Accounts window and Save your changes.
5. Choose Mail-Quit Mail to exit out of the application.
6. Launch Mail again.
7. Now that your old/POP account has been disabled, you can go ahead and set up your new IMAP account. As described on the page at www.bu.edu/pcsc/email/configure, BU's IMAP server is acs-imap.bu.edu and you should use that with SSL (port 993).
8. You should be all set once you have set that up. If you wish to upload specific messages from your old/local Inbox into your new ACS Inbox (so they will be available from elsewhere) you can do that simply by dragging them. Please be selective in doing that, however, as your Inbox is now subject to quota restrictions so you don't want to overload it. It's probably best to move messages a few at a time and to take only still-useful messages that you really need to access centrally.
9. If you have ever created any folders on the server (for example, with Horde) you should now see those folders listed. If you don't see them, it should help to go to Mailbox-Synchronize and make sure they are listed.
General instructions
The process of moving from POP to IMAP will be similar, regardless of which desktop mail program you are using. If the specific steps above do not include your mail program, please refer to this summary as a general guideline for what you will need to do.
NOTE: Note that you do not need to delete the current/POP Account in your mail program!* In fact, if you do, it could make things more complicated by removing access to your existing local messages. Instead, you want to keep it as an archive of previous messages and configure your mail client to read via IMAP, using the instructions below:
Step 1. Disable the POP "Account" in your mail program so that it no longer checks for new mail. Do this by making sure that it does not check for mail at launch and does not check for mail every X minutes. If you have your password configured in the settings, you should remove your pre-set password.
Step 2. Close the mail program and launch it again. Do not give a password if prompted (which you shouldn't be) - just click on Cancel. If you were prompted, repeat Step 1 to make sure you didn't miss anything.
Step 3. Set up the new IMAP "Account" in your mail program. As described on the page at www.bu.edu/pcsc/email/configure, BU's IMAP server is acs-imap.bu.edu and you should use that with SSL (port 993).
Step 4. Once the configuration is complete, you should be all set to now begin using the IMAP version of your ACS account. If you wish to upload specific messages from your old/local Inbox into your new ACS Inbox (so that they will be available from elsewhere) you can do that simply by dragging them. Please be selective in doing that, however, as your Inbox is now subject to quota restrictions and you don't want to overload it. It's probably best to move messages a few at a time and to take only messages that you really need.
*If it's too late and you have lost your local messages, the information about where those messages might be stored (as described within an unrelated page) will hopefully be helpful.
