Reliable email service for using in Outlook and webmail

[Tsunami]

I would like to know which of the free email providers would be recommended for using in Outlook. So far I've only used webmail, so I never really enquired about which service is reliable to be used in Outlook. I would like the service that received messages are downloaded to Outlook and also stored online in webmail, so no POP3 where messages are disappearing from webmail once they appear in the email client.

I am not sure if I should ever delete an email from Outlook, and if that affects the online copy of that email in webmail as well?

Preferably a provider which will be around long-term and has proven its reliability, and without inactivity limits for using with email client (or I should know to log in with webmail as well each X months or weeks in case this is required to keep the account alive, even when accessing Outlook very frequently)

I know these days even big players such as Gmail, Hotmail/Live/Outlook, etc have an option to be used with an email client. I am not sure which service is recommended though? Purpose is long term usage without any headaches

[Berenburger]

Originally Posted by Tsunami

I know these days even big players such as Gmail, Hotmail/Live/Outlook, etc have an option to be used with an email client. I am not sure which service is recommended though? Purpose is long term usage without any headaches

Outlook.com. Have more 'trust' in Microsoft than Google.

[Tsunami]

Originally Posted by Berenburger

Outlook.com. Have more 'trust' in Microsoft than Google.

Do you need to log in to the webmail as well every X weeks/months to keep the account alive? Or is checking Outlook several times a week or at least once a week sufficent to keep the account alive even when only using it in the email client?

What about the likes of Yahoo (not sure if they have the option for using with an email client?), EUMX, Zoho, ... ?? Or is it most reliable to stick with Microsoft/Live/Outlook?



PS: the option where emails are retained in webmail even once they appear in the email client, is called IMAP?
Can you add it to Outlook on 2 computers and still have the incoming mails retained in the webmail version once the mail has appeared in the email client on both machines?
Sorry for these rookie questions ; haven't used anything but webmail for quite a lot of years ...

[David]

I would think it better to use a combination of Webmail and IMAP, rather than a combination of Webmail and POP, under the circumstances.

Any email client will do; whichever one you like the best.

[xmailer]

Although I could probably answer the local client questions, since I also haven't used same for many years now myself, I might prefer to defer to someone who has used such a client more recently.

However, as for "inactivity limits", the last I remember, Microsoft advertised keeping accounts "alive" with a login at least every 9 months (or 270 days?), and I believe Gmail was the same. Since I'm not sure whether login with a client would count toward that limit, I might prefer to login through the web at least that often to try to make sure. As for, e.g., Yahoo, offhand I'm not sure what its limit is, but I'm sort of half-guessing that it may be about the same.

Although I mainly use Gmail myself, that may be more out of habit than anything, so I don't really feel inclined to recommend "a" service, except to say that Yahoo is probably the last one which I would personally trust of the "big three".

[Tsunami]

Originally Posted by David

I would think it better to use a combination of Webmail and IMAP, rather than a combination of Webmail and POP, under the circumstances.

Any email client will do; whichever one you like the best.

IMAP basically means the messages remain online in webmail even after appearing in the mail client, right? I am confused as to whether the deleting of a message in Outlook would delete the message from webmail or whether that would not affect the webmail account at all.

Since the email address would be for more professional purposes than the one I was using already, outlook.com or gmail.com would be more suitable domains than 'yahoo' IMO, although probably the fame of Yahoo would make anyone accept that one easily too ... But outlook.com for example sounds a lot nicer.

I was wondering whether to stick with one of the "big three" for long-duration and reliability purposes, or whether to also consider EUMX, Zoho, Mail.be, ... ?

[Tsunami]

Originally Posted by xmailer

However, as for "inactivity limits", the last I remember, Microsoft advertised keeping accounts "alive" with a login at least every 9 months (or 270 days?), and I believe Gmail was the same. Since I'm not sure whether login with a client would count toward that limit, I might prefer to login through the web at least that often to try to make sure. As for, e.g., Yahoo, offhand I'm not sure what its limit is, but I'm sort of half-guessing that it may be about the same.

Although I mainly use Gmail myself, that may be more out of habit than anything, so I don't really feel inclined to recommend "a" service, except to say that Yahoo is probably the last one which I would personally trust of the "big three".

That probably would be best regarding inactivity indeed ; Hotmail/Microsoft/Outlook used to have a shorter inactivity limit I thought, but may be extended to 9 months just like the main competitors. I thought they also required some sign-ins the first week of creation, unless that rule has been removed.

I would say the same about Yahoo, not sure why but each time I see a friend using it it comes across as quite slow. Haven't seen the new interface yet, and in theory of course this should not affect the usage of them via an email client. But of the big three I'd be more keen intuitionally to go with Gmail or Outlook.com ...

[William9]

Originally Posted by Tsunami

IMAP basically means the messages remain online in webmail even after appearing in the mail client, right? I am confused as to whether the deleting of a message in Outlook would delete the message from webmail or whether that would not affect the webmail account at all.

...

With IMAP, email clients/programs show the messages in your account on your service providers server. The MS Outlook application is just another client. Likewise, Webmail can be thought of as another client accessing the server. When you delete a message using any client, that message is deleted from the server and from all of your other clients/devices (when connected to the server, of course). That is the beauty of IMAP. Everything is in sync.

There are client setups to retain local copies by taking the messages out of the synchronized folders - moving to local folders, if desired.

[Tsunami]

Originally Posted by William9

With IMAP, email clients/programs show the messages in your account on your service providers server. The MS Outlook application is just another client. Likewise, Webmail can be thought of as another client accessing the server. When you delete a message using any client, that message is deleted from the server and from all of your other clients/devices (when connected to the server, of course). That is the beauty of IMAP. Everything is in sync.

There are client setups to retain local copies by taking the messages out of the synchronized folders - moving to local folders, if desired.

It would be better though if copies of the emails would not be removed from webmail unless done so manually when logging in to webmail. Otherwise the not being able to delete copies in Outlook would result in an overwhelming amount of emails on my PC... Is there any system similar to IMAP to not have any emails removed from webmail, even if they are deleted from the inbox in Outlook mail client?

[xmailer]

Originally Posted by Tsunami

It would be better though if copies of the emails would not be removed from webmail unless done so manually when logging in to webmail. Otherwise the not being able to delete copies in Outlook would result in an overwhelming amount of emails on my PC... Is there any system similar to IMAP to not have any emails removed from webmail, even if they are deleted from the inbox in Outlook mail client?

I'm not sure about the "similar to IMAP" part, but I believe what you're asking for could be accomplished by setting the account up as a POP3 account in your client, rather than IMAP. Although, generally speaking, that would only allow download from the Inbox of the account. You would also have to set up the client so as NOT to ever delete messages from the account server, which as far as I know can be done with all/most clients, although offhand I wouldn't be able to tell you where to find that setting in Outlook, never having used that client myself.

[EricG]

Outlook can access server mail with IMAP, EAS, and EWS (exchange server). All free email providers to IMAP, but only Outlook.com does EAS.

The advantage of EAS over IMAP is everything syncs: all folders, contacts, calendar and tasks. If you set up an EAS (exchange) account on a smartphone, you will see changes you make in on one platform appear in the other one instantly. Same goes for webmail.

Outlook 2013 will automatically configure outlook/hotmail accounts as EAS. You also get categories. Outook has an option to only store the last X months of email on the PC, so you can archive everything instead of deleting.

[William9]

Originally Posted by Tsunami

It would be better though if copies of the emails would not be removed from webmail unless done so manually when logging in to webmail. Otherwise the not being able to delete copies in Outlook would result in an overwhelming amount of emails on my PC... Is there any system similar to IMAP to not have any emails removed from webmail, even if they are deleted from the inbox in Outlook mail client?

Can you explain this further? It's difficult to understand what is the issue with IMAP and the Outlook client. Especially your statement "not being able to delete copies in Outlook" . Of course you can delete messages using Outlook. Are you referring to the option of having a local archive folder that doesn't sync with the server? One typical set up is to have a provider mailbox capable of storing thousands of messages (sort of expected nowadays) and keep all of your important read messages on the server -- but not in your inbox of course.

[Tsunami]

That is the issue - I would "clean up" Outlook often, but would prefer that even when deleting a message from the mail client, the webmail version retains that email. But it seems that then POP3 with a message to never delete from the server could be an option? Or to archive messages?(although I have no experience with archiving options so never tried this before)

[Tsunami]

Started using Outlook.com ; so far so good In the webmail version, I only struggle with the address book. As in: whenever trying to add a contact to addresses, the address book opens as a second tab. Which makes me confused if closing that tab and signing out of the inbox at the end of having read and sent mails, is sufficient to have logged off from the entire account?

PS: same can happen the other way round: going from the inbox to address book in the same tab, but when then wanting to return to the outlook.com inbox it opens as a new tab.
Of course the above problem is only occuring in the webmail version, not in an email client.

[xmailer]

Unfortunately, as I said above, never having used the Outlook client, offhand I have no advice for you regarding the "tabs" problem. But I am curious, since you didn't say, how did you end up setting the Outlook account up in the client -- as a POP, IMAP, EAS, or EWS account (the latter two of which I have no personal familiarity at all)?