Mail Servers

A mail server address is used to tell an email client program such as Outlook or Apple Mail where to collect email from. It functions in the same way as a postal address does for receiving and sending regular postal mail.

What is a mail server?

Wikipedia.org defines a mail server as:

... a computer that receives electronic mail and stores it in the recipient’s mailbox. The mailbox is stored in an electronic post office at the mail server. To access the post office and read their mail, the recipient must enter a logon name and a password. Some mail servers can be accessed from anywhere on the Internet, while others can only be accessed within an organization’s network. A LAN can contain several mail servers.

The most important part to remember is to enter the mail server exactly as it is given when setting up an email client program to send and receive email from the Internet Provider.

How do I know what to type in the mail server box?

The Internet Service Provider should give the user the email server address when the email address is created. Usually it is the email domain (the part of the email address after the "@" symbol ) with "mail", "pop", or "pop3" for incoming servers and "mail" or "smtp" for outgoing mail servers. Here are some examples of mail server addresses:

• pop.mydomain.com
• pop3.mydomain.com
• mail.mydomain.com
• smtp.mydomain.com

I need to know exactly what to type in.

The examples above are just that - examples. The exact mail server address that the user needs to use should have been given to him or her when the email address was created. He or she can try typing "mail." followed by the email domain in both boxes, or use "pop3." followed by the email domain for the incoming mail server box, and "smtp." followed by the email domain in the outgoing box. If none of these suggestions work, please contact the ISP's technical support.