Most people think the only free email that offers IMAP access is Gmail. Not so. Aol/AIM also has the same capability, which allows you to access your AOL/AIM account via the email client of your choice.

If you already know how to configure an email account using IMAP, skip down to the mail servers section below.

Why use IMAP?

IMAP is better than POP because your mail is synchronized directly with the mail server itself. With POP, the only thing you can do is download mail and optionally keep a copy on the server. IMAP is more convenient because it allows you to access your mail using any client you want on as many computers as you want.

In addition, being this is Aol mail, you can also use the webmail version at http://mail.aol.com or http://mail.aim.com.

Mail server addresses

If your email address ends in aol.com

Incoming server: imap.aol.com, port 143 (no SSL required)

Outgoing server: smtp.aol.com, port 25 or 587 if 25 doesn’t work (no SSL required)

If your email address ends in aim.com

Incoming server: imap.aim.com, port 143 (no SSL required)

Outgoing server: smtp.aim.com, port 25 or 587 if 25 doesn’t work (no SSL required)

Username

The mail username to use for both Aol and AIM is the portion before the @. For example, if your mail username was example@aol.com, the username you would use is example and nothing else. This counts for both the incoming and outgoing server username.

Is there folder support?

Yes. Any folder created in your email client or the webmail version will sync correctly – HOWEVER – I recommend creating folders using the webmail version, then synchronizing the client. It seems to work better that way.

Can you sync contact lists with an email client?

No. Just like with Gmail, contacts are either local to the email client or web-based. My suggestion is to use the web-based version since it’s portable.

Can you be logged into the web account and email client at the same time?

Yes.

Is it reliable?

It’s no more or less reliable than the way Gmail does IMAP. The only difference is that Gmail uses SSL connections while Aol does not. While it’s true that non-SSL is not as secure, it is notably faster.

What mail clients can be used?

Any mail client that supports IMAP based email accounts. This includes Outlook Express 6, Outlook, Windows Live Mail, Mozilla Thunderbird, Apple’s Mail, Evolution and several others.

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