Why shouldn't I use IMAP with Outlook?

Once upon a time, when Exchange mode wasn't working properly, ITS recommended that students configure Outlook to use IMAP. However, IMAP doesn't work very well in Outlook. (Some might say that IMAP doesn't work at all in Outlook.) Since Exchange mode has returned, we recommend you set up Outlook to use that. If you don't feel like going through the hassle of setting up Exchange (which is understandable), you might want to give Mozilla Thunderbird a try.

I've already set up Outlook to use IMAP! What should I do?

It would really be best to set up Exchange and delete your old IMAP account.

• Once you've set up Exchange, go to Tools > E-mail Accounts and select View or change existing e-mail accounts.
• Click Next.
• Select the IMAP account and click Remove.
• Click Finish to exit.

If you'd rather just stick with IMAP, we do have some tips for getting around its most obnoxious problems.

Subscribing to IMAP folders

IMAP works by synchronizing your e-mail between your local computer and the e-mail server. When you first use IMAP, you must tell Outlook what folders you would like to synchronize by subscribing to them.

1. In the leftmost pane, right-click on mail.pomona.edu, and then left-click IMAP Folders...
   
2. You can type the name of the folder you wish to view in Outlook (for example, Saved E-mail) and click Query, or leave the folder name field blank to receive a query of all available folders in your e-mail userspace.
   
3. Highlight the desired folder and click Subscribe. All currently subscribed e-mail folders have a folder to their left in this window and will also appear under the "Subscribed" tab.
4. The next time you click Send/Receive, Outlook checks your Pomona account using IMAP. It will leave new messages on the server but display them in the Folder List, under mail.pomona.edu.

Purging Deleted Items

• When you delete an item in IMAP mode, the message isn't actually deleted. It's only marked for deletion, so it's still sitting there, taking up space on the server. Items marked for deletion are indicated with a line drawn through the message.
  
• To remove deleted items from the server so that they will no longer appear or count towards your e-mail quota, go to Edit > Purge Deleted Messages.
  

Setting up the Pomona address book

1. Go to Tools > E-mail Accounts... Select Add a new directory or address book and click Next.
   
   
   
2. Select Internet Directory Service (LDAP) and click Next.
   
   
   
3. Enter ldap.pomona.edu for the server name, and enter your username (in CAMPUS\xyz0200x format) and password in the appropriate boxes. Click Next.
   
   
   
4. That's all! Click Finish and you'll be done! (You'll have to restart Outlook for the address book to appear.)
   
   
   

Getting Outlook to startup in your Pomona inbox

1. Go to Tools > Options. Select the Other tab, and click Advanced Options.
   
2. Click on the Browse button to the right of the “Startup in this folder” field. Then, expand the set of Pomona folders by clicking on the plus sign to the left of your Pomona account. Select Inbox and click OK in both this window and the Options window.
   
3. The next time you start Outlook, e-mails in your inbox will automatically appear in the right two panes.