Accessing Yahoo! Mail
This is a Yahoo! Mail Plus feature. 
| Using a Web Browser | Using the Yahoo! Toolbar | Using a Client Application | Forwarding Incoming Mail |
Accessing Your Mail Using a Client Application
In addition to using a web-based email client such as Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firebox browsers, you can use other email client applications to send and read your Yahoo! Mail if it is a Plus account. A client email application is a program installed on your computer that can access email from your mailbox on the Yahoo! Mail server. The following POP3 client applications work with Yahoo! Mail Plus:
- Microsoft Outlook 2002 (XP) & 2003
- Microsoft Outlook 98 and 2000
- Microsoft Outlook Express
- Microsoft Outlook Express for Macintosh
- Eudora 5.1 or higher
- Netscape Mail—All Versions
- IncrediMail build 618 and higher
- Microsoft Entourage 2001 and higher
Tip: Accessing your Yahoo! Mail using a client application is sometimes referred to as "popping out of" Yahoo! Mail.
Web-based mail clients let you view and manage your email messages on the Yahoo! Mail server without storing any mail on your local computer.
By contrast, typical email client applications download your email from the Yahoo! Mail server to your local computer each time you check for messages. The download process can either move the mail to your computer (deleting it on the mail server) or copy it (leaving it on the server for some period of time). If a copy remains on the server, you can still view the downloaded mail with a web-based email client on any computer.
Using an email client application with Yahoo! Mail requires some setup within the client so that it can access the Yahoo! Mail server. During setup, you can usually specify whether the client should delete downloaded email from the server immediately or leave a copy on the server.
(More Details)
Here’s How
-
In a browser, go to your Yahoo! Mail page. (Remind me how.)
-
Near the upper-right corner of the page, select Mail Options from the Options menu.
The General options page appears.
-
On the left side of the mail options page, select the POP & Forwarding option.
-
On the POP & Forwarding page, click the Set up or edit POP & Forwarding link.
The Yahoo! Mail POP Access & Forwarding page opens in a separate window.
-
On the Pop Access and Forwarding page, make sure that the radio button next to the Web & POP Access option is selected, then click the POP Settings link.
The POP Access Settings page that appears contains information about your Yahoo! Mail settings. You’ll need this information to configure your email client application to work with the Yahoo! Mail server. The page also contains links to detailed setup information for several of the most common email clients.
-
Click the link for the email application that you want to use with Yahoo! Mail.
Tip: Click the Setting up another email client link if your application is not listed on this page.
What’s Next
Even if you use an email client application, you can always visit the Yahoo! Mail web site to view and manage your mail account and to read messages that remain on the mail server.
Words to Know
- Mail server: an application that receives incoming email and forwards outgoing email for delivery. A computer dedicated to running such applications is also called a mail server.
- POP3: Post Office Protocol 3, a standard client/server protocol for receiving email in which a mail server receives and holds email messages for you.
- Web-based mail client: a program (usually a web site) that any computer with an Internet connection and a web browser can use to access the mail server.
- Yahoo! Mail Plus: a fee-based, advertisement-free version of Yahoo! Mail that provides additional online protection features and control.