Configure Outlook Express
Email is a great way to stay in contact with family and friends. While accessing email from a web-browser is convenient, using an email program such as Microsoft's Outlook Express (available for both Windows and Mac) can provide you with a way to organize your emails, your contacts and your schedule. The following will show you how to configure this program to send and receive emails.
Contents
Steps
Determining Which Server to Use
- Understand IMAP Servers. IMAP (Internet Message Relay Access Protocol) is a newer standard that works well with multiple devices and is the most common option to use. Instead of downloading your mail to your computer, IMAP allows you to manipulate the mail on the server (i.e moving mail to folders you've created) and see those changes on any device you use to access your mail (computer, smartphone,tablet, etc…).
- You should select IMAP if you will be accessing your mail at different times from multiple devices.
- Understand POP servers. POP (Post office Protocol) is the original standard protocol for how email programs receive mail from the mail server. POP mail downloads your mail to you computer and deletes the message from the server automatically after a period of time, anywhere from immediately to 30 days later depending on your selection.
- You would choose POP if you were only going to access email from a single computer.
- Gather your account information. In order to configure the email program you will need your email address, your password and the addresses of the incoming and outgoing mail servers for your email provider. If addresses are provided for both POP and IMAP servers, write both down as you will select which service you will use within the set-up.
- Login to your email. On the browser of your choice, login to your email. If you do not have an email account you will need to create one.
- Access the help screen. Locate the help screen either from the menu, or in gmail by clicking on the settings icon and selecting help.
- Search for mail servers. Enter "mail server" into the help search field or select from the help menu (if your mail provider offers this as a menu option).
- Record the mail server information. Write down the incoming (POP and IMAP) server information and the outgoing (SMTP) server information from this screen. For example, gmail's incoming server is imap.gmail.com, requires SSL and uses port 993; gmail's outgoing server is smtp.gmail.com, requires authentication, and uses either port 465 or 587 for SSL.
Configuring Outlook Express Client
- Access your email program. Now that you have your account information and understand why you would select either POP or IMAP it is time to enter this account information and set-up your email program.
- If you are on a Mac, click on the program icon, or navigate to the program from Finder>Applications.
- Access your account settings. Account settings contains all the connectivity settings and preferences for your email account. Depending upon the version of Outlook you are using, this will be found either in File>Information>Account Settings or Tools>Account Settings.
- Add a new account. Select the option to add a new email account and begin inputting the information you recorded for server names, along with your email address and password. This will set the configuration for your Outlook email account..
- Follow the prompts or form to enter your Name (this is what will be displayed to someone receiving an email), email address, password and the appropriate server information.
- Verify the account information. Before saving the information, re-read the information you have typed into the form for accuracy comparing it to what you previously wrote down and correct any inaccuracies.
- Save the account information. Follow the prompt to save the account information, the program will verify the connectivity and communications and start downloading emails or prompt you to resolve an issue.
