IMAP User Guide for MS Outlook

In most cases, the use of Microsoft Outlook with IMAP.aub.edu.lb works the same as it did with your POP.aub.edu.lb email account. You read new messages, drag & drop them to folders, reply to them, etc.

For some tasks you do things slightly differently when using IMAP. This is due to the fact that you are viewing email messages shared (possibly simultaneously) among several computers. This guide explains these differences.

First we discuss viewing IMAP email messages, then we describe the four areas where IMAP works differently: Downloading messages, Offline reading, Deleting messages, and Folders.

Viewing IMAP Email Messages

Outlook displays your new IMAP message folders and your old message folders simultaneously. The new IMAP folders are circled in this picture:



If you do not see the Folder List column in Outlook, choose the View - Folder List menu command while your Inbox is selected in the Outlook Shortcuts.

You can drag & drop and copy/paste messages between the IMAP.aub.edu.lb folders and the Personal Folders just as you would to move messages among any other folders.

You may wish to put a shortcut to the IMAP Inbox on your Outlook bar since all your incoming mail will be arriving in your IMAP Inbox rather than your Personal Folders Inbox. Do the following:

1. Click on the IMAP.aub.edu.lb Inbox with your right mouse button.
2. Choose the Add to Outlook Bar menu command.

Downloading Messages

With POP, you downloaded all new messages available on the server whenever you open Outlook while connected to the network and if you stay connected new messages are downloaded every few minutes.

With IMAP, Outlook will download just the message headers of new messages immediately when they arrive. Outlook automatically downloads the contents of messages when you view the message. (The headers are the From: Subject: and Date: information about the message. The contents are the bulky body of the message and any attachments.)

You only need to be aware of this difference when doing Offline Reading of your messages.

Offline Reading

You must download the message contents of all messages you wish to read while disconnected from the Internet. For example, if you plan to read your new mail from a hotel room, follow these instructions.

1. While connected to the Internet, click on the folder containing the messages you wish to read. This is most likely the Inbox folder. If you don't see a folder list in Outlook, select the View - Folder List menu command.
2. Select the Inbox under IMAP.aub.edu.lb (you can select in a similar manner any folder under IMAP.aub.edu.lb).
3. Select the messages that you would like to download, Right click on the mouse and select Mark to Download Messages.

4. Repeat 3 to select all messages that you would like to download.
5. Select the Tools - Send/Receive - This Folder (IMAP.aub.edu.lb) menu command. Outlook will download the contents of all messages marked for download in that folder for later offline reading.

Deleting Messages

With IMAP, messages are marked as Deleted when you delete them.

You should select Edit - Purge Deleted Messages menu command to remove deleted messages from a folder.

Folders

Although Outlook automatically downloads all changes to messages, it does not automatically update the list of folders.

If you create a new folder on one machine and begin reading messages on another machine, the list of folders on the other machine will not be updated to include the new folder until you do the following:

1. Click on the IMAP.aub.edu.lb entry at the top of the Folders List in Outlook with your right mouse button.
2. Choose the IMAP Folders menu item.

3. An IMAP Folder will popup, click on Query to display your IMAP.aub.edu folders. Select the folder that you would like to your Folder list and Subscribe the folder.

Outlook will update the Folders List to reflect any folders added, renamed, or deleted by other computers.