By default, when you retrieve new messages from a POP3 email account (e.g. from Outlook), the messages are deleted from the mail server and then saved on the computer that you are using. This makes them no longer accessible in your webmail interface.
By changing the settings on the device connecting via POP3 (e.g. Outlook), you can choose whether the messages are removed after they are downloaded to your computer. Below are the steps to find and adjust these settings in Outlook. The steps will be similar but different if you are using another mail client:
- In Outlook, navigate to “Account Settings”
- On the E-mail tab, select the POP3 email account, then select “Change”
- Select “More Settings”
- On the “Advanced” tab, under the “Delivery”, select “Leave a copy of the messages on the server” check box
- Now, choose how long you wish to leave the copy of the message on the server and whether or not to delete them from the server when you delete them from Outlook
We don’t recommend that you leave a copy of the message on the server for too long as you may go over your allotted mail storage. Find an amount of time that seems reasonable for the amount of time that you may need to fallback to webmail because you don’t have access to the computer where your emails are stored.