Converting from POP3 to IMAP

[TheNit]

I am currently using MS Outlook 2007 and have a Bell POP3 email account. I am about to purchase MS Outlook 2021 (standalone license), mostly becaise Bell seems to have issues with Outlook 2007. Bell seems to highly recommend using IMAP so I'm considering switching my account to IMAP. Any conversion routine seems to imply (but not state) that to do so you need a new email address. Is there a way to switch from POP3 to IMAP and keep the same email address? I would switch to Gmail or Cogeco (or any other provider) if I need to change my email address. I use an email app on both my tablet and smartphone and define the account as IMAP and have no issues accessing the emails if they are still on the Bell server.

[Vanadiel · Accepted solution]

No new e-mail address needed. You will need to configure a new account under Outlook, using these Settings 

Just use the same e-mail address as you use with the pop account.

Outlook 2007 is not officially supported anymore by Bell, as per this information.

[TheNit]

I've seen that note from Bell that they only support MS Outlook 2013 and higher. I'm not sure when that decision was made but I've had no issues with Outlook 2007 and Bell since 2007. I'm not even sure what it means.

[WelshTerrier · Accepted solution]

Good Day.

IMAP vs. POP3  becomes a matter of choice. You can continue to use your existing email account if you wish to upgrade from Outlook 2007 to Outlook 2021.

I use both POP3 & IMAP on the same email account.  Anything I wish to keep permanently, I store on my computer with POP3 settings. I use IMAP on my Apple iPad & iPhone.

IMAP (.ost) and POP3 (.pst) differ in how they handle email storage and synchronization. IMAP keeps emails on the server and synchronizes them across multiple devices, allowing access from anywhere. POP3 downloads emails to a single device and typically removes them from the server, making them accessible only on that device. POP3 has an option to "Leave messages on the server". This prevents Outlook 2021 from deleting messages from the server after downloading them.

Something you should consider, there are two types of data files in Outlook, a Personal Storage Table (.pst) and an Offline Storage Table (.ost). These files are not interchangeable nor can they be converted from one format to another.

You do not need two email addresses. It can make the process simpler for transferring mail folders from one account & format to another in Outlook, but it is not a must have. There are "work arounds" that will allow you to move your POP3 mail to IMAP using Outlook 2021.

Hopefully this has been of assistance in answering your question,

Take care.

[dks · Accepted solution]

Thank you for your question. Bell stopped supporting Outlook older than 2013 for security reasons. Be sure you are upgrading to classic Outlook 2021 or 2024. The new Outlook, found in Windows 11, is not the same program and stores your emails in the cloud as opposed to on your computer.