Conversion of POP3 to IMAP cannot possible directly. The procedures need you to configure IMAP account after removing the POP3 account. In the end, transfer the mail folders to accomplish the conversion goal. It is not so tough. The prim thing you need to take care of data safety.
Your POP3 account may look like this-
There are three steps to convert POP3 and IMAP.
- First removing the current POP3 account
- Adding the IMAP account
- Transfer the data holding mails
Note: Before heading to accomplish the goal of conversion from a POP3 account to IMAP, the PST file that has already been used by POP3 account should not be removed. The main reason for it is that IMAP supports only emails. So, there is one more PST file is required to store other items except for emails. Moreover, you will have to perform some configuration to send the sent item emails to the sent items folder of IMAP.
1. Removing the POP3 Account
In the first step, you will have to remove the POP3 account that you have created already. If you don’t do so, the duplicate data problem can be faced by users. Storage problem may arise because the data will once again installed to your email client from the server.
Note- Data safety is your first priority. When you delete your POP3 account, the data items like contacts and emails which are already downloaded will stay safe. Still, you can back up the PST file to avoid future risks. In case, the process of data transaction goes wrong, your backup will remain available. Backup is not a problem. It’s a solution.
For every version of MS Outlook, removing the POP3 account process is a bit different.
In MS Outlook edition 2003:
Start Outlook >> press Tools tab >> press E-mail Accounts >> click the tab ‘Next’ >> Choose your POP3 account which you want to remove >> at the end press Remove tab.
For Outlook version 2007:
Start Outlook program >> go to Tools >> press Account Settings >> choose the POP3 account you would like to delete >> finally hit Remove button.
In Outlook 2010, 2013 & 2016:
Start Outlook >> open File >> Section Info >> Account Settings >> Account Settings… >> choose the POP3 account you would like to erase >>hit remove button finally.
Step 2- Creating the IMAP Account
The dialogue box for setting the IMAP account will be the same used for step 1. In Outlook 2007-2016, the ‘Auto Account Setup Wizard’ is used to make the process faster and easier. Since, the process is automatic where users have to fill the credentials like name, password, email address, and password. Once you fill all the credentials, the Outlook itself performs the settings of the account.
In case, the automatic setting doesn’t work, users can set up manually with the help of “Manually Configure Server Settings.”
Step 3- Transferring the Mail Folders
The final step is the data transfer of the email folders. There are two simple steps to follow to transfer users data to IMAP.
Select the email folder that you would like to transfer by copying or move command.
You can also apply the drag and drop method to save time.
In Outlook, when you are applying drag and drop method, use the right button of the mouse to either copy or move data.
Note- The sent items cannot be transferred to any location. So, users have to select individual messages to transfer the data to the desired location.
Note- In case your POP3 account is configured to leave a copy on the server, you may need to make your IMAP inbox empty to prevent duplicate.