POP and IMAP is what allows you to download messages from your provider's email servers onto your computer so you can access your mail with a program like Microsoft Outlook or Thunderbird, even when you aren't connected to the Internet.

If you’re trying to decide between using POP and IMAP, we encourage you to use IMAP.

Unlike POP, IMAP offers two-way communication between your provider's email servers and your email client. This means when you log in to your email provider using a web browser, actions you perform on email clients and mobile devices (ex: putting mail in a 'work' folder) will instantly and automatically appear in your email mailbox (ex: it will already have a 'work' label on that email the next time you sign in).

IMAP also provides a better method to access your mail from multiple devices. If you check your email at work, on your mobile phone, and again at home, IMAP ensures that new mail is accessible from any device at any given time.

Finally, IMAP offers a more stable experience overall. Whereas POP is prone to losing messages or downloading the same messages multiple times, IMAP avoids this through two-way syncing capabilities between your mail clients and your provider's servers. You can retrieve your email messages with a client or device that supports IMAP, like Microsoft Outlook or Apple Mail.