How do I change email servers?

- Will this be the same Spectrum account with just a server name change?

- Do you intend to switch from an IMAP account to a POP3 account or vice versa?

- Or are you moving to a new email provider?

Please describe the situation in more detail. The method is different for each case.

Same Spectrum account - just different servers Stays as IMAP Same email provider

Spectrum has "grandfathered" me since they no loner offer email to new customers. Somehow in the process my old password was lost and I needed to reset it. That has lead to a cascading set of issues.

The directions they provided me with are: To get started, make sure you have the following settings:

   Username: Your full Spectrum email address
   Password: Your Spectrum email password
   SSL: On
   Protocol: IMAP
   Incoming Server Port: 993
   Outgoing Server Port: 587
   Requires Authentication: Yes, or checked

Before you do anything, I recommend that you back up your entire Thunderbird profile. That way, if things don't work out as you expect you can restore to where you are now. This article describes one way to do it. I recommend you use the "Creating a backup of large profiles" method regardless of the size of your profile:

https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/thunderbird-export

If I understand the scenario, and all settings but the server name will stay the same I think it will be safe to just change the name in <Account Settings | (account) | Server Settings>. Since this is an IMAP account, there's no chance of data loss.

Should I assume that the outgoing (SMTP) server will remain the same as it is now?

I am areal rookie here. The current Server type setting is POP mail server, but the list provided by Spectrum says "Protocol: IMAP" does that mean I need to change the server type?

I assume the setting SSL/TLS means that SSL is "On"? Correct?

The only port listed in my account is 995 but the document provided by Spectrum calls for Incoming server Port to be 993. However with 995 I am able to receive emails as it stands.

The outgoing server port is to be 587 which is the same as my settings. Thunderbird gives me the option in the Account Sttings/Outgoing server to test the connection. When I do I get "An error occurred connecting to mail.twc.com:587.

Is the entire problem I have here POP vs IMAP? If it is how do I change it?

Lin - My THANKS to you. You are incredibly helpful & patient. I do apologize for my ignorance.

I forgot to mention ... I have been unable to send anything just receive

OK, I have to back up. Don't change your server settings! You should never try to change an existing account from POP3 to IMAP or vice versa - they work very differently and a change like that is liable to lose data. If you'd like a quick lesson on how POP3 and IMAP differ and the pros and cons of each, check out this article:

IMAP Synchronization https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/imap-synchronization

I'm kind of curious why Spectrum wants you to switch from one to the other. IMAP is better - more modern, safer, more secure, but POP3 still works. I wonder if they're shutting down POP access? Anyway...

To switch from POP3 to IMAP, you should create a brand new account along side the old one. Here's an article about how and why:

Switch from POP to IMAP account https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/switch-pop-imap-account

As I mentioned, it's safest to make a backup copy of your profile before making significant changes like this. Actually the practice is to make regular backups if you email collection is precious to you.

By the way, we see lots of problems with Spectrum. They are prone to connection problems, their online documentation is vague, incomplete, and outdated, and their tech support seems to not always know what they're doing.

If I create a new imap account can i merge the "old" emails into the new account?

Yes, you can. By definition, POP3 accounts download everything from the server to your computer and delete them from the server, leaving the only copy of the message on your local computer (this is one of the disadvantages of POP.) IMAP mirrors everything on the server to your computer or computers, which means there are at least two copies of everything.

Part of the method described in the article above involves copying all the previously downloaded messages to Thunderbird's Local Folders. Then, after you create the new IMAP account in Thunderbird, you can optionally upload those messages back up to the server. This isn't necessary.

My apologies for asking so many questions ... but I've never done this before.

- when I create the new IMAP account can I keep my old email address?

- are all my email addresses in my address book preserved?

- if need be how do I import the saved profile?

- are existing local folders preserved when I create the IMAP account & delete the POP account?

Thanks

In case you're unclear about "accounts" in Thunderbird, you can have any number of accounts set up, and they will all appear listed in the Folders List and in Accounts Settings. Typically each account will be for a different email address. In this case you will temporarily, during the transition, have two accounts for the same address, the difference being that one is the existing POP3, the other the new IMAP.

- Yes, you can keep the same email address. The new "account" is just another connection to the same server mailbox, using a different protocol.

- Yes, your address book will be untouched.

- To restore a profile that's been previously backed up using the "Creating a backup of large profiles" method described in the article I cited above, you would open your profile folder (found in the same way you found it when backing up) and replace every file in that folder with the contents of your backup folder (COPY those files, don't MOVE them, so your backup copy will remain intact.) You need to be comfortable with working with files and folders.

- If you're talking specifically about the folders found in the "Local Folders" section of Thunderbird, the answer is "Yes," They will be preserved.

If you're talking about any folders found in the POP3 account's section, you should move those into "Local Folders" before deleting the POP account. Then, at your convenience, you can optionally move them to the IMAP account in small batches, to avoid the sever choking on the upload.

I am extremely frustrated!!!

So I started the new account setup (Mozilla Thunderbird Account Hub) IMAP selected but the server name is wrong. Listed as Mobile.charter.net but it should be mail.twc.com. I edited both incoming and outgoing server names but I couldn't move forward until I tested the connections. Message came back that Thunderbird couldn't find the server. So I checked with Spectrum and mail.twc.com was indeed correct as was all of other settings. So I tried again with the Spectrum person still on the phone. Same result couldn't find the server. Then a catty line from the agent - Not my Problem that Thunderbird can't find the server. That's their problem.

I tried to go forward with their original server (Mobile.charter.net) and of course it didn't recognize my password.

So now what do I do? I am at my wits end and have no idea where to turn to next. Give me a hand PLEASE

There seems to be big problems going on at Spectrum/Charter/TWC. Neither mail.twc.com (TWC's email servers) or mobile.charter.net (Spectrum and Charter's servers) appear to be online right now and may have been down for a day or more. It does not appear to be a Thunderbird issue.

I think it will be an exercise in frustration for you to work at this issue until they get their servers working properly. I suggest you hold off on it for now and stick to webmail for the moment.

I'm looking into it and will report back later with what I find.