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| faq:email:why-pop3-download-old-mails [2022/02/14 17:27] – vikki | faq:email:why-pop3-download-old-mails [2024/04/04 15:40] (current) – [2. Change the number of days the emails are kept on server to a shorter period] vikki |
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| | [[:start|Home]] > [[:faq|FAQ]] > [[faq:email|Email]] > [[faq:email#email_clients_mobile|Email Clients & Mobile]] > [[faq:email#mail_client_issues_and_troubleshooting|Mail Client Issues and Troubleshooting]] > **Why are my old mails being downloaded to Ms Outlook again?** |
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| ====== Why are my old mails being downloaded to Ms Outlook again? ====== | ====== Why are my old mails being downloaded to Ms Outlook again? ====== |
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| If you are using POP3 to download emails and yet leaving them in the server, occasionally, you may experience old emails being downloaded to your mail client again. | POP3, a widely used email protocol, can sometimes download the same emails repeatedly. This can be frustrating, but understanding the reason behind it can help you avoid it. |
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| | Unlike the newer IMAP protocol that syncs emails and folders between the email server and the email client, POP3 prioritizes downloading emails, typically from the Inbox folder, to your device for offline access. However, POP3 doesn't keep track of downloaded emails on the server itself. Instead, it relies on your email client (like Microsoft Outlook) to remember which emails have already been downloaded. |
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| | Here's where things can go awry: |
| | * **Memory Lapse:** Your email client tracks downloaded emails using unique identifiers (IDs). If your email client forgets these UIDs due to software glitches, it might play it safe and download everything again. |
| | * **Incomplete Downloads:** Interrupted downloads can also confuse your email client. Imagine downloading a file and the internet cuts out halfway through. Just like with files, a download hiccup can make your email client think it hasn't received everything, prompting a redownload. |
| | * **Inconsistent IDs:** Sometimes, the order of emails on the server or changes within your email client can cause the UIDs to become inconsistent. This can lead your email client to treat all emails as "new" and download them all again. |
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| | Furthermore, as the number of emails increases in your Inbox, POP3 access may become inefficient. This inefficiency arises because the mail client requires more time to compare and verify the email list before initiating downloads. Consequently, the overall email access process gradually decelerates, resulting in slower performance over time. |
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| As POP3 protocol doesn't keep records on which emails have been read or downloaded, the mail client (i.e. Ms Outlook) is the one that takes up the role - every time the mail client connects with the server, it will have to query the entire email list and ID, compare them to the records that it has already downloaded, and pick only those that has not been downloaded. These decision and calculations are all done at the mail client instead of the server. There were times when these list/IDs become inconsistent (server sort order, mail client checksum changed etc), and the mail client will treat the entire list as "new", and could perform the download again. | To prevent this issue, it is advisable to opt for either one the following solutions: |
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| Not only that, when the number of emails increases in your Inbox, POP3 access can get inefficient, as the mail client requires more time to compare and check the email list before downloading them, causing the overall email access process to become slower and slower. | ==== 1. Switch to use IMAP instead of POP3 ==== |
| | If you require access to your emails from multiple devices or locations, it's advisable to utilize IMAP (Internet Message Access Protocol) instead of POP3. Unlike POP3, which is primarily designed for single-device access, IMAP offers seamless synchronization across multiple devices, ensuring that changes made on one device are reflected across all others. \\ |
| | See: [[faq:email:switch_pop3_to_imap_ms_outlook|How to 'switch' POP3 to IMAP in Microsoft Outlook]] |
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| To avoid such issues, we advise to: | ==== 2. Change the number of days the emails are kept on server to a shorter period ==== |
| | If you prefer to stick with POP3 access, we advise keeping the duration for which emails are stored on the server relatively short, such as less than 7 days. By doing so, you can enhance the efficiency of your daily email download sessions. This practice ensures that only recent emails are fetched during each session, minimizing the time and resources required for synchronization.\\ |
| | See: [[faq:email:ms_outlook_pop3_configuring_leave_msg_on_server|Ms Outlook (POP3): Configuring How Much Days Emails are Kept on Server]] |
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| === 1. Switch to use IMAP instead of POP3 === | |
| If you need to share or access the mails from multiple devices, it is recommended to use IMAP to access your emails, as POP3 was not designed for multi-access. | |
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| === 2. Change the number of days the emails are kept on server to a shorter period === | ==== 3. Move all downloaded emails from the Inbox folder to the Read folder in webmail/server ==== |
| If you would like to maintain with POP3 access, we recommend to keep the number of days to keep the emails on the server short (e.g. less than 7 days). This would at least increase the efficiency on daily email download session. | To prevent old emails from being redownloaded again, you can move them from the Inbox folder to another folder (e.g. Read folder) on the [[https://lookafter.com/login|webmail]]. \\ |
| | See: [[faq:email:how_to_move_emails_to_personal_folder_or_other_mailbox|How to move emails to other folders on webmail]] |
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