can i change pop email to imap?

[Mo4]

I have my email account set up as a pop account on my Mac, and would like to change to IMAP for easier handing on multiple devices. However, i don't want to lose the downloaded mail that i have on my Mac. If i make this change will i lose my downloaded (local) mail files?

[shaw-valerie]

@Mo4 To ensure that your stored information for this account is not affected in Mail, what you can do is disable the account settings that you have currently (to do this, go into the Mail menu, choose Preferences, then Accounts, then in the information for your Shaw email un-check the box next to "Enable this account") rather than deleting that account within Mail and then add a new account with the IMAP settings. That will keep your current downloaded messages as an archive on that computer, so will not re-sync with the server if you're concerned about your older messages using up your allotted storage space, and allow you to use IMAP for you newer messages to sync across multiple devices. 

[ga7]

so I can have 2 accounts with the same address?

[mdk]

@ga7 -- so I can have 2 accounts with the same address?

Most E-mail programs allow several "identities", so that you can connect each identity to a specific mail-server, e.g., to an account on the mail-server at the University where you are a student, to an account on a mail-server at a business where you work on a "co-op" term, and to Shaw's E-mail server for your "non-student-non-work" personal E-mail account.

When you click "Check for new E-mail", you can choose to check just one of those identities, or all of them.

You can also configure one of those identities to NOT be checked when you click "check all".

While it makes no sense to me, you can configure more than one identity to check the SAME mail-server, sending the same E-mail ID and E-mail password.

[Gloriaa]

I'm not able to find 'Enable this account' in the email information area of my Shaw webmail account.

Could it be called something else?

[mdk]

@Gloriaa --  I'm not able to find 'Enable this account' in the email information area of my Shaw webmail account.

If you are using the web-based access:  http://WebMail.Shaw.ca  you can be connected to exactly one Shaw E-mail at a time.  You must logout and then login to your other Shaw account, e.g., "logout from Mom" and then "login as Terry"  (Terence? Theresa?).

Some E-mail programs, running on your computer, such as Microsoft Outlook, have multiple "identities" with different options. More than one "identity" can be linked to just one Shaw E-mail ID. Also, each "identity" can be linked to a different ID, e.g., your ID on your employer's network, or your ID on your university's network, or your ID on the Shaw network.  So, opening Outlook can cause multiple E-mail IDs to be accessed.