N
The Daily Insight

What is the difference between SMTP and IMAP

Author

Gabriel Cooper

Updated on April 18, 2026

SMTP is the industry standard protocol for sending email. … IMAP is one of the most common protocols for receiving email. IMAP syncs messages across all devices. POP3 is another protocol for receiving email on a single device.

Is IMAP and SMTP password the same?

1 Answer. The SMTP and IMAP servers are separate as far as your mail client is concerned, and that’s true for nearly all clients I’ve tried so far. (Well, some do have an option to “use the same credentials as IMAP”, e.g. Outlook does.) Although the two servers can share authentication information, and nearly always do …

Does IMAP use SMTP?

IMAP vs SMTP IMAP is used to retrieve messages, while SMTP is for sending them. IMAP works between the server and client for communication, whereas SMTP works between servers to transfer information.

Is Gmail a SMTP or IMAP?

Incoming Mail (IMAP) Serverimap.gmail.com Requires SSL: Yes Port: 993Outgoing Mail (SMTP) Serversmtp.gmail.com Requires SSL: Yes Requires TLS: Yes (if available) Requires Authentication: Yes Port for SSL: 465 Port for TLS/STARTTLS: 587

Does Outlook use IMAP or SMTP?

Outlook.com supports IMAP / SMTP This means you don’t have to use Outlook.com’s webmail interface! You can check your email and send messages using other email programs (like Mailspring, Outlook Express, Apple Mail, or Mozilla Thunderbird). Using desktop email applications can improve your workflow.

What is the SMTP password for Outlook?

SMTP Serversmtp-mail.outlook.comUsernameYour full Outlook.com email addressPasswordYour Outlook.com passwordSMTP Port587SMTP TLS/SSL Encryption RequiredYes

What is my SMTP outlook?

Outlook for PC In Outlook, click File. Then navigate to Account Settings > Account Settings. On the Email tab, double-click on the account you want to connect to HubSpot. Below Server Information, you can find your incoming mail server (IMAP) and outgoing mail server (SMTP) names.

What is the SMTP port number?

Port 25 is the original standard email SMTP port and the oldest, since it first debuted in 1982. Today, the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA), the group responsible for maintaining the internet addressing scheme, still recognizes port 25 as the standard, default SMTP port.

What is Gmail's SMTP server?

SMTP server address: smtp.gmail.com. SMTP port (SSL): 465. Gmail SMTP port (TLS/STARTTLS): 587.

What is an SMTP server name?

An SMTP server is the machine that takes care of the whole email delivery process: that’s why to send your messages with an email client or software you need first of all to configure the correct SMTP settings – in particular, the right SMTP address you’re using. (For instance, Gmail’s is smtp.gmail.com).

Article first time published on

What is the difference between SMTP and SMTP?

S.No.IMAPSMTP1.It is short for Internet Message Access Protocol.It is short for Simple Mail Transfer Protocol.

Why is SMTP still used?

SMTP or Simple Mail Transfer Protocol is mostly used for sending out email from an email client (e.g. Microsoft Outlook, Thunderbird or Apple Mail) to an email server. … The ability to relay messages from one server to another is necessary if the sender and recipient have different email service providers.

Who uses SMTP?

SMTP is a protocol used to transfer e-mail messages and attachments. SMTP is used to transmit e-mail between e-mail servers and from e-mail clients (such as Microsoft Outlook) to e-mail servers (such as Microsoft Exchange).

Does Outlook use SMTP?

SMTP is used to send mail. The SMTP configuration parameters for Outlook.com are: Server: smtp-mail.outlook.com. Port: 25 (or 587 if 25 is blocked)

What is SMTP setting?

SMTP settings are simply your Outgoing Mail Server settings. “SMTP” stands for Simple Mail Transfer Protocol. It’s a set of communication guidelines that allow software to transmit email over the Internet. … There are two other protocols, POP3 and IMAP, which are incoming settings used for retrieving and storing email.

What Server is Outlook email on?

Email ProviderIMAP SettingsMicrosoft 365 Outlook Hotmail Live.comServer: outlook.office365.com Port: 993 Encryption: SSL/TLSMSNServer: imap-mail.outlook.com Port: 993 Encryption: SSL/TLS

Is Outlook a POP3 or IMAP?

Outlook supports standard POP3/IMAP email accounts, Microsoft Exchange or Microsoft 365 accounts, and webmail accounts including Outlook.com, Hotmail, iCloud, Gmail, Yahoo, and more.

What is pop IMAP and SMTP?

Summary of the SMTP, IMAP, and POP3 Email Protocols SMTP is the industry standard protocol for sending email. … IMAP syncs messages across all devices. POP3 is another protocol for receiving email on a single device. Using POP3 means that your email will be accessible offline and deleted from the server.

How do I find my email SMTP server?

Click “Tools,” then “Accounts,” then “Mail” if you are using the popular Outlook Express program for your email. Select the “Default” account, and choose “Properties” from the menu. Choose the “Server” tab and choose “Outgoing Mail.” This is the name of your SMTP server.

What is the port no of SMTP and POP3?

ProtocolSecurity SettingPort Number(s)SMTP (sending mail)Unencrypted25* (or 26)POP3 (receiving mail)Encrypted – TLS995POP3 (receiving mail)Encrypted – SSL995POP3 (receiving mail)Unencrypted110

What is Outlook IMAP password?

Depending on your e-mail provider, this is usually either your full e-mail address or the part of your e-mail address before the “@” symbol. This is the password for your account. Usually this password is case-sensitive.

How do I use SMTP in Outlook?

  1. Select “Account Settings…” from the “Tools” menu.
  2. Select your email account and click on the “Change” button.
  3. Insert your server’s name in the “Outgoing mail server (SMTP)” field. …
  4. Click on the “More Settings…” button.
  5. Select the “Outgoing Server” tab.

What is POP3 in Gmail?

POP, short for the Post Office Protocol, is used to sync email from Gmail to any compatible mail client, such as Outlook, Thunderbird, or Apple Mail. … In POP normal mode, Gmail provides a list of about 250 of the oldest messages that have not yet been downloaded (Spam and Trash are excluded).

What is SMTP username and password?

The SMTP password is the same as your web password, unless you are using 2SV. Use smtp.gmail.com, port 465, SSL or port 587/STARTTLS. If they are true aliases (nicknames), use your full primary email address as the username and that account’s password.

What is Relay in mail server?

SMTP mail relay is the process of transferring an email from one server to another for delivery. For example, if you work for Company A and send an email to someone at Company B, you connect to your company’s SMTP server. … One server accepting an email from another server is “relaying.”

What port is 110?

the Post Office Protocol POP3 (TCP port 110) commonly used by mail clients to retrieve Internet mail.

What port is IMAP?

Ports used for IMAP: Port 143 – Default IMAP port. Also used for TLS. Port 993 – IMAP port used for SSL.

Why is port 443 secure?

Port 443 is a virtual port that computers use to divert network traffic. … HTTPS is secure and is on port 443, while HTTP is unsecured and available on port 80. Information that travels on the port 443 is encrypted using Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) or its new version, Transport Layer Security (TLS) and hence safer.

What does POP3 mean?

Post Office Protocol (POP3)Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP)The user can not organize mails in the mailbox of the mail server.The user can organize the emails directly on the mail server.

Do I need SMTP server to send email?

Why You Need An SMTP Server? Without an SMTP server, you cannot send your email to its destination. When you click the “send” button from your email client, your email messages get automatically converted into a string of codes and are transferred to your SMTP server.

What is an example of SMTP?

SMTP stands for Simple Mail Transfer Protocol, and it’s an application used by mail servers to send, receive, and/or relay outgoing mail between email senders and receivers. … For example, the SMTP server Gmail uses is smtp.gmail.com, and Twilio SendGrid’s is smtp.sendgrid.com.