About receiving messages

You can use Microsoft Outlook Express to receive messages from any or all of your e-mail accounts. How you receive your messages depends on the type of mail account you have.

When you receive messages from a POP account, Outlook Express connects to the mail server and then moves the messages to your computer, so you can read them. These messages appear in the Outlook Express Inbox Inbox symbol in the Folder list. If you set up a POP account to leave larger messages or copies of messages on the server, these messages still appear in the Inbox. The difference is that Outlook Express provides additional options for receiving POP messages that have been left on the server.

When you receive messages from an IMAP or Hotmail account, Outlook Express connects to the mail server, but does not move the messages to your computer; the messages remain on the mail server until you delete them. These messages appear in folders under the IMAP IMAP symbol or Hotmail Hotmail symbol account folder in the Folder list.

Receiving messages from a POP account

Receiving messages from an IMAP or Hotmail account

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Receive messages from a POP account

  1. On the Tools menu, point to Send & Receive, and then do one of the following:
  2. If you did not save your account password when you set up the account, type your password in the Password box.

Note When you click Send & Receive All, only messages from accounts that are included in your Send & Receive All schedule are received.
Tip You can create a schedule so that Microsoft Outlook Express automatically connects to the mail server and checks for new messages when you want it to.

About receiving POP messages left on the server

Opening a message

About mail accounts

About schedules

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Receive messages from an IMAP or Hotmail account

  1. In the Folder list, click the account.

    If the Folder list is hidden, click Folder list on the View menu.

  2. In the right pane, double-click the folder that contains the messages you want to receive.
  3. If you did not save your account password when you set up the account, type your password in the Password box.

Tip You can create a schedule so that Microsoft Outlook Express automatically connects to the mail server and checks for new messages when you want it to.

Opening a message

About mail accounts

About subscriptions to IMAP folders

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About receiving POP messages left on the server

If you set up a POP account to leave messages on the server, Microsoft Outlook Express uses several symbols to help you identify the status of a message that has been left on the server. You can also use these symbols to specify the action you want to perform on a message the next time you connect. In the Message list,

This Means
Partially Received symbol The message has been partially received.

Fully Receive at Connect symbol The entire message will be received the next time you connect.

Received Full Copy symbol The entire message has been received, and a copy exists on the server.

Delete from Server symbol The message will be deleted from the server the next time you connect.

<none> The message has been received, and a copy does not exist on the server.

About leaving POP messages on the server

Marking a POP message to receive later

Deleting a POP message from the server

Receiving messages from a POP account

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Mark a POP message to receive later

This procedure only applies to POP accounts that are configured to leave large messages on the server.

  1. Receive messages from the POP account.
  2. In the Message list, click the Partially Received symbol Partially Received symbol next to the message, and then click Get Message from Server at Next Connection on the pop-up menu.

About receiving POP messages left on the server

Setting up a POP account to leave messages on the server

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