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How to setup your email program so it does not leave a copy of your messages on our servers

This document will help you setup your email program so that it DOES NOT leave a copy of your messages on the server. This tutorial assumes that you are configured to retrieve your email using the POP3 protocol and that it is currently configured to leave copies of the messages on the server, instead of deleting them from the server. To learn more about the difference between POP3 and IMAP, click here.

Here's a quick overview of the process on the most popular e-mail programs:

Outlook Express:

  1. Go to the Tools menu and choose Accounts,
  2. double-click on your email account's name,
  3. go to the Advanced tab,
  4. uncheck the box at the bottom that says Leave a copy of messages on the server, or check the box that says "remove from server after ... days" and specify a short enough amount of days, for example 5, and also check the last box "remove from server when deleted".
  5. click OK,
  6. click Close

Outlook 2003

  1. Go to the Tools menu, choose E-mail accounts, select View or change existing email accounts and click Next,
  2. double-click on the name of your Earthnet account,
  3. click on the More settings buttion,
  4. go to the Advanced tab,
  5. uncheck the box at the bottom that says Leave copy of messages on the server, or check the box that says "remove from server after ... days" and specify a short enough amount of days, for example 5, and also check the last box "remove from server when deleted",
  6. click OK, Next and Finish

Outlook 2007

  1. From the Tools menu choose the option for Account Settings.
  2. From the E-mail accounts screen, choose the E-mail tab.
  3. Select the account you wish to edit by highlighting it and selecting Change
  4. From the bottom right of the Internet E-mail Settings page select More Settings.
  5. From the More Settings page choose the Advanced tab.
  6. On the Advanced tab uncheck the box to "Leave a copy of the Message on the Server" Or check the box that says "remove from server after ... days" and specify a short enough amount of days, for example 5, and also check the last box "remove from server when deleted",
  7. click OK to confirm

Outlook 2010

  1. From the File menu choose Account Settings.
  2. Select the account you wish to edit by highlighting it and selecting Change
  3. From the bottom right of the Internet E-mail Settings page select More Settings.
  4. On the Advanced tab uncheck the box to "Leave a copy of the Message on the Server" Or check the box that says "remove from server after ... days" and specify a short enough amount of days, for example 5, and also check the last box "remove from server when deleted",
  5. click OK to confirm

Thunderbird

  1. Click on the Tools menu, choose Account Settings,
  2. go to the Server Settings category on the left side, under your Email account,
  3. uncheck the box that says Leave messages on server, or check the box that says "for at most ... days " and specify a short enough amount of days, for example 5, and check the other box ("until I delete or move them from inbox")
  4. click OK to confirm

Windows Live Mail

  1. From the Tools menu click the option for Accounts
  2. From the Internet Accounts screen, select the account under Mail you wish to edit by highlighting it and selecting Properties on the right.
  3. On the Advanced tab uncheck the box to "Leave a copy of the Message on the Server"

Entourage

  1. Click on the Tools menu and choose Accounts,
  2. Double-click on the name of your email account and go to the Options tab,
  3. Under Server Options, uncheck the box that says Leave a copy of each message on the server, and the other boxes as needed,
  4. Click OK to confirm

Apple Mail for Mac OS X

  1. Click on the Mail menu and choose Preferences,
  2. Click on the Accounts icon, and select your email account on the left side,
  3. Go to the tab called Advanced, and CHECK THE CHECKBOX CALLED Remove copy from server after retrieving a message:
    • if that checkbox is UNchecked, then all your messages will always stay on the server (and you will fill up your quota quickly)
    • if that checkbox is checked, then the messages will only stay on the server as long as specified in the drop-down box underneath (recommended: less than 5 days)
    • if that checkbox is checked and the drop-down box is set to Right Away, then your account will behave as a regular POP3 account (the messages will be downloaded to your computer and then removed from the server right away - highly recommended)
  4. Click OK to confirm

Microsft Outlook 2011 for Mac

  1. From the Tools menu select the option for Accounts.
  2. Select the e-mail account you wish to edit by clicking on the account listed on the left menu.
  3. At the bottom of the account details Select the Advanced Tab
  4. Check the option to "Remove copy from server after retrieving a message". You can either select the interval or uncheck that option entirely
  5. Click OK to confirm
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