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when changing from POP to IMAP can I keep my existing email address?

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  • Last reply by mark-e-mark

mark-e-mark
mark-e-mark
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I have a very old Bell sympatico.ca email account that I've been running for decades as POP.

I think I need to convert it to IMAP to facilitate access of mail on iphones and ipads.

I read through the "Switch from POP to IMAP account" page in the "help" and was surprised to read that I would need to "create an IMAP account". Can't I simply reconfigure the existing one?

One wrinkle is that I'd very much like not to have to supply the email password. It was input when the account was setup and we don't have a record readily to hand.

https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/switch-pop-imap-account

The easier this change is the better. It's my aged Parent's email.

Hope you can help. Thanks!


M

I have a very old Bell sympatico.ca email account that I've been running for decades as POP. I think I need to convert it to IMAP to facilitate access of mail on iphones and ipads. I read through the "Switch from POP to IMAP account" page in the "help" and was surprised to read that I would need to "create an IMAP account". Can't I simply reconfigure the existing one? One wrinkle is that I'd very much like not to have to supply the email password. It was input when the account was setup and we don't have a record readily to hand. https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/switch-pop-imap-account The easier this change is the better. It's my aged Parent's email. Hope you can help. Thanks! M

Chosen solution

The address can be the same, in fact most people simply want to change the account type. Just be sure if, when you add the IMAP account, the Account Name is different, e.g. Bell IMAP.

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mark-e-mark
mark-e-mark Question owner
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OK. Thanks.

The article then assumes this new account will have a new email address that I will have to share with everyone who knows the old one.

Is that true? If so can that be avoided? Can't the email address reamin the same?

mark-e-mark
mark-e-mark Question owner
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Thanks so much.

You might want to clarify this final paragraph in the article though...

"If you have created a new email account that uses IMAP, you cannot delete your old POP account without deleting your email address. Before deleting the POP account, you will probably want to inform people who send messages to your old account that they should switch to your new email address, and allow a period of time to pass before deleting the POP account to ensure that you don't miss any messages."

The first sentence is clearly wrong, no?

With respect to people sending mail to my parents the account name doesn't figure into it (so far as I understand from what you've said). If the address can remain the same then it should all work.

Thanks again.