---
title: "Setting Up Your Desktop Email Client"
source: "https://docs.nexcess.com/hosting/email/mail-clients/setting-up-your-desktop-email-client/"
description: "Desktop email clients, like Mail on OSX and Outlook, fetch your server email, providing offline access. Configuration varies between clients."
vertical: "Hosting"
date: "2024-03-04"
last_modified: "2026-08-04"
---

# Setting Up Your Desktop Email Client

Desktop email clients, like Mail on OSX and Outlook, retrieve your email from your server so you can read it without opening a web browser. You don’t have to use a desktop email client, but it might be convenient if you already use a desktop client. You need to set up an email address in [cPanel,](https://docs.nexcess.com/hosting/control-panel/whm/cpanel/email-management/creating-email-accounts-in-cpanel/) [InterWorx](https://docs.nexcess.com/hosting/control-panel/interworx/siteworx/email-management/creating-email-accounts-in-interworx/), or [Plesk](https://www.liquidweb.com/help-docs/creating-email-accounts-in-plesk/) before you start configuring your mail client.

Every desktop mail client is slightly different and requires different settings. So, we’ll go over the basic information you’ll need to set up your desktop email and where to look in your client to connect your email.

### **POP3 vs. IMAP**

Before we start talking about how to move your email from your server to your home computer, it will be useful to learn the difference between POP3 and IMAP. Both of them are ways for your email client to get email messages from your server to your computer, but they work slightly differently.

## **POP3**

POP stands for Post Office Protocol, and the current version is version 3. POP3 downloads all your emails to the computer where your email client is running. It does not leave your emails on the server, so the only place you can access your emails once they are retrieved is from that specific computer. POP was developed before smartphones, so not many people were accessing their mail from more than one computer.

## **IMAP**

IMAP stands for Internet Message Access Protocol. It keeps all your email on your server even after you sync your email client with your server, so you can retrieve your email on multiple devices. Because most people access their email on more than one device, IMAP is generally going to be a more useful option to get your mail from your server to your devices.

Choosing POP3 or IMAP is up to you, depending on your specific needs. Once you’ve chosen how you want to link your server and your email client, you can find the specific information that you need to link the two in your control panel.

- [Finding Your Email Client Configuration in cPanel](https://docs.nexcess.com/hosting/control-panel/whm/cpanel/email-management/finding-your-email-client-configuration-in-cpanel/)
- [Finding Your Email Client Configuration in InterWorx](https://docs.nexcess.com/hosting/control-panel/interworx/nodeworx/email-management/finding-your-email-client-configuration-in-interworx/)
- [Finding Your Email Client Configuration in Plesk](https://www.liquidweb.com/help-docs/finding-your-email-client-configuration-in-plesk/)

## Desktop Mail Clients

- ### **Outlook**
    
    
    - In the top menu, click on **Tools** and then **Email Accounts** (some versions of Outlook may say just **Accounts**). In some versions of Outlook you may need to click on the **Email** tab.
    - Click on **Add a new e-mail account…** or simply **New** and then click **Next**.
    - For more detail, see [Setting Up Email in Outlook](https://docs.nexcess.com/hosting/email/mail-clients/setting-up-email-in-outlook/).
- ### **Mozilla Thunderbird**
    
    
    - Click on the **File** menu, choose **New**, and click **Existing Mail Account…**.
    - For more detail, see [Setting Up Email in Mozilla Thunderbird](https://docs.nexcess.com/hosting/email/mail-clients/setting-up-email-in-mozilla-thunderbird/).
- ### **Mac OSX Mail**
    
    
    - With the **Mail** application open, click on the **File** menu and then click **Add Account…**.
    - For more detail, see [Setting Up Email in Mac OS X Mail](https://docs.nexcess.com/hosting/email/mail-clients/setting-up-email-in-mac-os-x-mail/).
- ### **Outlook Express/Windows Mail**
    
    
    - Click on the **Tools** menu, click on **Accounts**, and then click on the **Mail** tab.
    - Click the **Add** button and then click on **Mail**.

## **Mobile Mail Clients**

- ### **iPhone email**
    
    
    - Open the Settings app and then tap **Mail, Contacts, Calendars**. Tap **Add Account…**.
    - From the list of available email services, choose **Other**. You will be prompted for your server and user information.
- ### **Android email**
    
    
    - Open your list of applications and tap the **Email** icon.
    - If this is your first time launching the **Email** application you will be prompted to create a new account.
    - To manually add a new account, open the **Email** application, tap your device’s **Menu** button, and choose **Add Account**.
    - For more detail, see [Setting Up Email on Android Devices](https://docs.nexcess.com/hosting/email/mail-clients/setting-up-email-on-android-devices/).