Configuring Outlook for CertMail
Revised 07/07/2010 SSC


If you use Outlook as your preferred e-mail client, you can configure your CertMail account to run inside Outlook in addition to your online e-mail access through www.certmail.com. Before you do so, there are a few options you must consider.

This document outlines the process for setting up CertMail in an e-mail client and explains the options available to you when using CertMail in an e-mail client.

For best results, we recommend trying out the Mail Client Configuration Wizard built into your XSite before using this document. Click the links below to see the Mail Client Configuration Wizard in your XSite.

 

While CertMail does come fully equipped with an online e-mail client, you can also set up CertMail in your favorite desktop e-mail program to take advantage of the additional functionality provided by those programs. While you can use any preferred e-mail client to manager your CertMail, we provide custom setup tools and instructions for all variations of Microsoft's Outlook system due to the extreme popularity of those programs.

Before you begin the configuration process, you should take a moment to decide whether you want to use a POP3 or IMAP style connection in your e-mail client. Each has its own merits and drawbacks, so you should consider both equally before making a decision. If you're not familiar with the differences between the two, review the information included below before continuing with this document.

Select your preferred connection type AND e-mail program from the options provided to view specific steps for your configuration.

 1. Pick Your Connection Type 2. Pick Your E-mail Program
 

 

IMAP is a server-based e-mail technology that leaves all of your e-mail messages and mailbox configurations entirely online. By taking this approach to e-mail and folder storage, your entire e-mail box becomes completely portable - requiring no additional configuration on additional computers beyond the basic Outlook setup. Because this type of connection is entirely dependent on the server, increasing the complexity of the common support call, fewer e-mail providers actually offer IMAP support. By the same token, since your e-mail messages and mailbox configurations are entirely online with IMAP, it's typically best for you to have a stable, high-speed connection to reduce the likelihood that you receive errors while managing your e-mail.

     
  Note: Since IMAP leaves your e-mail messages online instead of downloading copies of your messages (like POP3), deleting the message in Outlook or in CertMail's WebMail interface deletes the message entirely.  
     

In a practical sense, this type of setup offers one key benefit. Namely, folders you create with IMAP are also created in your e-mail box on the server. Then, when you set up another IMAP connection to the same mailbox from another computer, the folder structure remains intact. If you're regularly moving from computer to computer or simply need access to the same folder structure no matter where you access your e-mail, IMAP is probably the best solution for you.

One final thing to consider, though, before accepting IMAP as your preferred e-mail connection is the method you must use to delete e-mail when you use an IMAP connection. Many computer users have become accustomed to the concept of selecting a bunch of items they wish to delete and sending them to the Deleted Items folder, the e-mail version of a Windows Recycle Bin. IMAP does not use the Deleted Items folder as a temporary holding place for messages pending deletion. Instead, it simply places a strike through the e-mail message to indicate that it has been deleted, and when you're ready to purge it from your mailbox entirely, you have to indicate so with your e-mail program.

     
  Note: In all of the various versions of Outlook, you can purge your mailbox of IMAP deleted items by clicking Edit, Purge Deleted Items from the menus.  
     

In short, if you find yourself regularly accessing your e-mail from different computers, have a high speed Internet connection, and are comfortable learning a slightly different workflow for deleting messages, IMAP is your solution. Just mark the IMAP option above and select your preferred e-mail client for detailed instructions on configuring that program for CertMail and IMAP.

POP3 is a client-based technology that stores all of your e-mail messages and folders on your local computer. Since all of your e-mail and folders reside on your personal computer, all that's required with POP3 connections is a quick connection to your mailbox on the part of your e-mail client to download any new mail that's arrived. In order to maintain the portability of your e-mail, our POP3 configurations always leave a copy of your e-mail messages on the server until you empty them from your Deleted Items folder. Unlike IMAP, this configuration does not allow you to maintain the same folder structure if you set up your e-mail on another computer, but it still allows you to download identical copies of your mail messages on as many computers as you like.

In addition, since POP3 only requires you to connect to your mailbox for a short period of time to download new messages, it's not nearly as important for you to have a stable, high speed connection as it is with IMAP. If you use a dial-up or satellite connection to the Internet, POP3 is definitely the best option for you. But even if you have a high speed connection, you may still want to consider using POP3 as your connection type. Since the main stream public only moved to high speed Internet connections in the last several years, POP3 - with it's stability on weaker Internet connections - has seen more widespread adoption amongst e-mail users and has consequently become the more familiar approach to e-mail for most people.

In short, if you tend to use the same computer to manage your e-mail all the time or have a slower, weaker Internet connection, POP3 is your best choice. And even if you have a stable, high speed connection, POP3 may be the best solution for you thanks to its greater overall stability and familiar methods for managing e-mail. If you decide that POP3 is the best connection type for you, just mark the POP3 option above and select your preferred e-mail client for detailed instructions on configuring that program for CertMail and POP3.