Upgrade a POP configuration to IMAP

This guide explains how to switch, in an email software, from a POP configuration to an IMAP configuration for the same mailbox. Indeed, for various reasons, it is highly recommended to use the IMAP protocol instead of POP. 

Switching from POP Protocol to IMAP Protocol

If your email address is already configured with the POP protocol in your email software (Mozilla Thunderbird, Microsoft Outlook, etc.), it is not possible to switch directly to the IMAP protocol on the same account. Most common email software does not allow you to modify an existing POP3 account and set it to IMAP instead.

The solution is to add the same email account but with the IMAP protocol to your email software and then move your messages and folders from the POP account (on your computer) to the IMAP account (on the mail server).

With Microsoft Outlook

Some versions of Outlook, such as 2016, prevent the simple addition of a second account with the same name (identical email address).

To work around this, you need to add the account from the Profiles section:

From there, you can add the additional account in IMAP:

1. Configure the new email account with the IMAP protocol (the same account as configured in POP but this time in IMAP)
   
2. Move one folder at a time by dragging them to the inbox of the new account configured in IMAP
   
3. Wait while the elements are transferred (this may take a long time depending on the volume to be transferred to the server); the activity is indicated at the bottom of the window
   
   

If your POP account kept a copy of messages on the server (a discouraged option in your Outlook advanced settings), you may end up with duplicate messages.

With Apple Mail

Deleting the email account configured with POP also deletes the messages it contains. Therefore, it is recommended to disable the POP account instead of deleting it!

Once the POP account is disabled, follow our guide to configure your email address in Apple Mail using IMAP.

When you are done, all you need to do is drag the messages from your POP account's folder structure to the folder structure of the new IMAP account.