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Home / Glossary / IMAP
Glossary · Protocol

IMAP

Internet Message Access Protocol

In plain language

A way of reading email that leaves every message on the mail server so all your devices show the same inbox.

The metaphor

Like a post office box you can open from any door: the letters stay in the box and you read them from wherever you stand.

Going deeper

How it works

  • Your phone, laptop and webmail show the same folders.
  • Reading or deleting a message on one device shows up on the others.
  • Mail stays on the server until you delete it.
  • It is the common method for modern email setup.
In practice
  • A consultant reads the same inbox on phone and laptop.
  • An office sets up a shared mailbox for the front desk.
  • An owner switches to a new laptop and sees all her mail at once.

A question owners ask

Why does my phone show different mail from my laptop?

Usually one of them is set to POP instead of IMAP, which downloads mail to one device only.

Related terms
AHAuthentication HeaderARPAddress Resolution ProtocolBGPBorder Gateway ProtocolCCMPCounter Mode/CBC-MAC ProtocolCHAPChallenge Handshake Authentication ProtocolCRCCyclical Redundancy CheckEAPExtensible Authentication ProtocolESPEncapsulated Security Payload

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