Internet for Beginners

A member of the Cygnus Group

Home

Sending and Receiving AOL Email Via Other Email Applications

You can set up different email applications to receive and send AOL email. You do this by connection to AOL's email servers.

The incoming email server for AOL is an IMAP server, instead of the POP3 server. You will first need to make sure your application supports the IMAP protocol , and select this when you setup an account to receive your AOL email.

The outgoing email server is the SMTP server. The setup of this server is different for AOL email than for most other ISPs email. The SMTP server will require authentication, which you will select during the setup process. What this means is that in order to send email, you must log into the SMTP server with a user name and password. The user name will be your AOL screen name, and the password will be the password for that screen name. You will also need to change the outgoing mail (SMTP) port number to 587.

Your incoming and outgoing email server addresses will be as follows:

This will done in two steps. You will need to first create a new email account in Outlook Express. When that is created, you will need to configure that account to receive and send your AOL email.

Setting up Outlook Express to receive and send AOL email

Creating a new email account
  1. Sign on to AOL
  2. Launch Outlook Express
  3. In the Tools menu on the Outlook Express toolbar select Accounts
  4. In the dialog box that opens, click on Add, then Mail
  5. In the Internet Connection Wizard dialog box, enter your name in the Display name field as you want it
  6. to appear on your outgoing email messages
  7. Click Next
  8. In the E-mail address field, enter your full AOL email address (e.g. [email protected])
  9. Click Next
  10. In the E-mail Server Names dialog box select IMAP from the drop-down menu
  11. Type imap.aol.com in the Incoming mail server field
  12. Type smtp.aol.com in the Outgoing mail server field
  13. Click Next
  14. In the Internet Mail Logon dialog box enter your AOL screen name in the Account name field
  15. In the Password field enter the password for that screen name
  16. Leave the Remember password box checked if you want Outlook Express to save your password
  17. Click Next
  18. Click Finish

Configuring your Outlook Express email account

  1. Return to the Accounts diaglog box by going to Tools then selecting Accounts
  2. Select your AOL IMAP account
  3. Click on Properties
  4. In the dialog box that opens click on the Servers tab
  5. In the Outgoing Mail Server section, click to select the My server requires authentication check box
  6. Click Apply
  7. Click on the Advanced tab
  8. In the Outgoing mail (STMP): field, change the number to 587
  9. Click Apply
  10. Click on the IMAP tab
  11. In the Special Folders section, click to uncheck the box by Store special folders on IMAP server
  12. Click Apply
  13. Click OK
  14. Click Close
NOTE: You may get a message that prompts you to download folders from the mail server. Click Yes

Setting up Eudora to receive and send AOL email

  1. Sign on to AOL
  2. Launch Eudora
  3. In the New Account Wizard dialog box, click Next
  4. Select Create a brand new e-mail account
  5. Click Next
  6. In the next dialog box, enter your name as you want it to appear on your outgoing email messages
  7. Click Next
  8. Enter your full AOL email address (e.g. [email protected])
  9. Click Next
  10. Enter your AOL screen name
  11. Click Next
  12. In the incoming mail server field enter imap.aol.com
  13. Select IMAP
  14. Click Next
  15. Leave the IMAP Mailbox Location Prefix field blank
  16. Click Next
  17. In the outgoing mail server field enter smtp.aol.com. NOTE: If Eudora automatically inserted
  18. imap.aol.com into that field, be sure to change it to smtp.aol.com
  19. Select the check box for Allow authentication
  20. Click Next
  21. Click Finish
If Eudora prompts you for a password, enter the password for that AOL screen name and click OK

NOTE: If the New Account wizard doesn't display, click the Personality tab, right-click in an open area of the dialog box, and then click on New.

To change the SMTP server port number in Eudora
  1. In the Tools menu on the Eudora toolbar, click Options
  2. Scroll down in the navigation pane and click on Ports
  3. In the SMTP Port (25): field, enter 587
  4. Click OK
  5. Restart Eudora

Setting up IncrediMail to receive and send AOL email

  1. Launch IncrediMail
  2. In the Tools menu on the IncrediMail toolbar click on Accounts
  3. When the Mail Accounts dialog box opens, click on Add
  4. If you are asked to select either automatic or manual configuration, choose the radio button beside Let
  5. me configure settings myself
  6. Click Next
  7. Click Next again
  8. In the Name and Email address dialog box, enter your name in the Your name is field as you would
  9. like it to appear on your outgoing email messages
  10. Enter your full email address in the Your email address field (e.g. [email protected])
  11. Click Next
  12. In the Screen name and Password dialog box enter your AOL screen name in the Screen Name field
  13. In the Password field enter the password for that AOL screen name
  14. Click on Finish

NOTE: You need to use IncrediMail version/Build ID 3001482 or higher. You can find out what version you are using by going to the Help menu and selecting About IncrediMail. If the version you are using is lower than 3001482, you can download a new version at http://www.incredimail.com

Setting up Netscape Messenger to receive and send AOL email

  1. Launch Netscape Mail & Newsgroups
  2. In the Edit menu on the Netscape toolbar select Mail & Newsgroup Account Settings
  3. Click on Add Account
  4. Select AOL account
  5. Click Next
  6. Enter your real name
  7. Enter your AOL screen name
  8. Click Next
  9. Click Finish
  10. In the Mail & Newsgroup Account Settings dialog box, click to select the AOL account you just
  11. created in the list on the left side of the box.
  12. In the Reply-to Address: field, type in your AOL email address
  13. Click OK