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You can set up Outlook 2003 to access your email account using POP or IMAP. For example, you can add your AOL or Yahoo Mail account to Outlook 2003.

If your mailbox is in a cloud-based environment (for example, in Microsoft 365 for business), and you want to connect to your account with Outlook 2003, you must choose the POP or IMAP option when you set up your account.

Important:  If you're using Outlook 2003, and your mailbox isn’t in a cloud-based environment, you may also be able to connect to your email account with an Exchange account instead of through POP or IMAP. Using an Exchange account lets you use calendaring and other collaboration features that you can't use if you connect through IMAP or POP. For more information, see "What else do I need to know?" later in this topic.

In this article

Set up Outlook 2003 for POP or IMAP access to your email account

  1. Open Outlook 2003. If the Outlook 2003 Startup page doesn't open, do the following:

    1. On the Tools menu, click E-Mail Accounts.

    2. On the E-Mail Accounts page, under E-mail, click Add an e-mail account, and then click Next to go to step 2.

      If the Outlook 2003 Startup page opens when you start Outlook:

    3. Click Next on the first page of the wizard.

    4. On the Account Configuration page, click Next again.

  2. On the Server Type page, select IMAP or POP3, and then click Next. Consider using IMAP because it supports more features.

  3. Provide the following information on the Internet E-mail Settings page:

    Under User Information:

    • In the Your Name box, enter the name you want users to see when you send email from this account.

    • In the E-mail Address box, enter your email address.

      Under Server Information:

    • If you're using IMAP, enter your IMAP server name in the Incoming mail server (IMAP) box. If you're using POP, enter your POP server name in the Incoming mail server (POP3) box. If you’re connecting to your Microsoft 365 email, the IMAP or POP server name is outlook.office365.com. If you’re not using Microsoft 365, see Find your server settings.

    • In the Outgoing mail server (SMTP) box, enter the SMTP server name. If you’re connecting to your Microsoft 365 email, the SMTP server name is smtp.office365.com. If you’re not using Microsoft 365, see Find your server settings.

      Under Logon Information:

    • In the User Name box, enter your email address.

    • In the Password box, enter your password. If you want Outlook to remember your password, make sure the check box next to Remember password is selected. Don't select Log on using Secure Password Authentication (SPA).

  4. At the bottom of the page, click More Settings, and then fill in the Internet E-Mail Settings dialog box as follows:

    • On the General tab, under Mail account, type the name you want to use for this email account.

    • On the Outgoing Server tab, select My outgoing server (SMTP) requires authentication. Make sure Use same settings as my incoming mail server is selected.

    • On the Advanced tab, under Incoming server (IMAP) or Incoming server (POP3), select the This server requires an encrypted connection (SSL) check box. Under Outgoing server (SMTP), select the This server requires an encrypted connection (SSL) check box, and then click OK.

    • If you're using POP and you want to keep a copy of your messages on the server, under Delivery, click Leave a copy of messages on the server. If you don't select this option, all messages will be removed from the server and stored locally on your computer.

  5. On the Internet E-mail Settings page, click Next.

  6. On the Congratulations page, click Finish.

  7. If you're using IMAP a message appears that asks you if you want to download folders for the mail server you added. Click Yes. Use the Outlook 2003 user interface to select which folders to synchronize between the server and your local computer, and then click OK.

Find your server settings

If you’re connecting to your Microsoft 365 for business email, you don’t need to look up your settings. For Microsoft 365, the server name for IMAP and POP is outlook.office365.com and the server name for SMTP is smtp.office365.com.

If you’re not connecting to Microsoft 365 email, do the following to look up your settings.

  1. Sign in to your account using Outlook Web App. For more information, see Sign in to Outlook Web App.

  2. In Outlook Web App, on the toolbar, click Settings Settings icon > Options > Account > My account > Settings for POP and IMAP access.

  3. The POP3, IMAP4, and SMTP server name and other settings you may need to enter are listed on the Settings for POP and IMAP Access page under POP setting or IMAP setting, and SMTP setting.

What else do I need to know?

  • If your email account is the type that requires registration, you need to register it the first time you sign in to Outlook Web App. You won’t be able to connect to your email account using Outlook if you haven't registered your account through Outlook Web App. After you sign in to your account, sign out. Then try to connect using Outlook. For more information about how to sign in to your account using Outlook Web App, see Sign in to Outlook Web App.

  • If Auto Account Setup can't successfully connect you to your account, do one or more of the following:

    • Wait a few minutes and try again.

    • If you need to connect to your email account immediately, use a web browser or an email program that supports POP or IMAP to connect to your account using Outlook Web App. For information about how to connect using a web browser, see Sign in to Outlook Web App. For information about how to connect using a POP or IMAP email program, see Connect email accounts to Outlook on the web.

    • If you know the name of the person who manages your mailbox (sometimes called an email administrator), contact them and report the error you're getting when you try to connect to Outlook.

  • Outlook 2007 supports only one Exchange email account per Outlook profile. If you try to add a second Exchange connection while Outlook is running, you may get the following error:

    You cannot add a Microsoft Exchange account to this profile while Outlook is running. Exit Outlook and use the Mail icon in the Control Panel to add a Microsoft Exchange account.

  • If you already have an Exchange connection in your Outlook profile, you may need to delete the current profile or create a new profile before you can follow the steps in this topic. For more information about Outlook profiles, see Outlook email setup at the Microsoft Office Online website.

  • If your mailbox is in a cloud-based environment (for example, in Microsoft 365 for business), and you want to connect to your account with Outlook 2003, you must choose the POP or IMAP option when you set up your account.

  • If your mailbox is in a cloud-based environment, for the best collaboration experience, we recommend that you connect to your account by using Outlook Web App or through an email program that supports Exchange account access, such as Outlook 2007, Outlook 2010, Outlook 2013, Apple Mail 10.6 Snow Leopard, Apple Mail 10.7 Lion, Entourage 2008 Web Services Edition, or Outlook for Mac 2011. Connecting to your account using POP and IMAP doesn’t allow you to use the rich email and collaboration features that are provided when you connect using an Exchange account.

  • If you're an Outlook 2003 user and your mailbox isn’t in a cloud-based environment, you may be able to connect to your email account using an Exchange account instead of using POP or IMAP. Using an Exchange account lets you use calendaring and other collaboration features you can't get if you connect through IMAP or POP.

What if I want to know more?

Supported email programs and features

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