With Microsoft Outlook 2007, it’s possible to leave a copy of each message on the mail server after you read it.

You’ll want to do this if you read e-mail in Outlook and another program (or our Webmail system). If you don’t do this, Outlook will delete the message copy from our servers as soon as it connects, and the other program (or Webmail) won’t be able to see the messages later.

This page explains how to set up Outlook to leave a copy of each message on the server. It assumes that you have already followed the basic instructions to set up Outlook 2007.

Changing the Outlook settings

To leave messages on the server, you will:

• Open the Advanced settings window for your mail account
• Check the “Leave a copy of messages on the server” checkbox

1. Start the Microsoft Outlook program.

You can use the Start menu to start Outlook. When it opens, click Tools, then Accounts Settings from the menu bar:

2. Select the account to change.

Highlight the account you want to change, then click Change to open the settings window.

3. The “Change E-mail Account” window opens.

The screen should look something like this:

4. Open the Advanced settings screen.

Click the “More Settings” button, then choose the “Advanced” tab.

In the “Advanced” tab, check the Leave a copy of messages on the server checkbox.

To make sure copies of every message don’t stay on the server forever (which can slow down your mail connections and use up your disk space allowance), we also recommend checking the box marked Remove from server after X days. Choose a number of days that’s long enough that you’ll be able to read the messages in your other mail program (or Webmail). Even using a large number such as 100 days is better than not checking this box.

5. Close the settings windows.

Click OK to close the “Internet E-mail Settings” window.

The “Change E-mail Account” screen will then be visible. Click Next, then Finish.

Outlook setup is complete

You’re finished! From now on, any mail that arrives should stay on the server, and you should be able to see it in your other mail program or Webmail. (If you’re using another mail program, you’ll probably want to setup that program to leave a copy of your messages on the server, too.)

How to configure Outlook 2007

Start Outlook 2007, go to the Tools menu and click on Account Settings.

In the Account Settings window you can configure all your e-mail accounts. To create a new account click on the New button.

The Add New E-mail Account wizard will start. Select Microsoft Exchange, POP3, IMAP, or HTTP and click on Next.

In the next window type your name, e-mail address and password.

If you are using mail services from Microsoft such as Windows Live Hotmail, you can press the Next button and Outlook 2007 will automatically detect your e-mail server settings.

If you are not using any e-mail services from Microsoft you will need to configure your server settings manually. To do this, in the Add New E-mail Account window, check the box that says Manually configure server settings or additional server types and click on Next.

In the next window you need to choose the type of mail server your e-mail service is using. In this tutorial we will cover the first option – Internet E-mail (POP, IMAP or HTTP).

Now you need to enter all the settings required to connect to your e-mail server. First type your name and e-mail address. Then choose the appropriate connection type: POP3, IMAP or HTTP. Next, type the incoming and outgoing mail server addresses and then the user name and password used to connect to those servers.

There are cases when you need to make some additional settings. In this case press on the More Settings button and the Internet E-mail Settings window will open. Here you have several tabs with different settings. The most important tabs are Outgoing Server and Advanced. In the Outgoing Server tab you can configure the way Outlook connects and authenticates to the outgoing (SMTP) server.

In the Advanced tab you can set the ports and you can enable the encrypted connection between your PC and the mail server. If your e-mail provider offers a generous inbox (1 GB or more) it is a good idea to check the Leave a copy of messages on the server. This way, if you have any problems with your PC and you lose your e-mail messages, you will always have them on the mail server and you can download them back once your PC is repaired. By default, Outlook 2007 does not have this option enabled. Another recommendation is to also check the ‘Remove from server when deleted from Deleted Items’ option. This helps you optimize the space used on your mail server by deleting all the undesired messages.

When you are done making all the required settings, click on OK to return to the previous window and then click on Next. The wizard will now end and show you a congratulations message. Click on Finish and you are done.

If you’ve made all the correct settings, you will be able to retrieve your e-mail messages.