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How to Access Your IMAP Email Inbox Offline with Mozilla Thunderbird

By Heinz Tschabitscher, About.com

IMAP is flexible, versatile, swift and cool. IMAP is good. But to access your mail from anywhere on the server, you need a connection to that server from somewhere.

If you leave to an area without net access and want to take your mail with you, what should you do? If you tell Mozilla Thunderbird, Mozilla SeaMonkey or Netscape to make your IMAP account Inbox available offline, all messages will automatically be downloaded to your computer and you can read them or write replies without being connected.

Access Your IMAP Email Inbox Offline with Mozilla Thunderbird, Mozilla SeaMonkey or Netscape

To access your IMAP email Inbox offline with Mozilla Thunderbird, Mozilla SeaMonkey or Netscape:

  • Select Tools | Account Settings... from the menu.
    • In Netscape and Mozilla SeaMonkey, select Edit | Mail & Newsgroup Account Settings....
  • Go to the desired IMAP account.
  • Select the Offline & Disk Space category.
  • Make sure Make the messages in my Inbox available when I am working offline is checked.
  • Click OK.

Now, to go offline:

  • Select File | Offline | Download/Sync Now... from the menu.
  • Make sure Mail messages is selected under Download and/or sync the following:.
  • Also check Work offline once download and/or sync is complete.
  • Click OK.

To go back online:

  • Click the online/offline icon in the lower right corner of the main window.
    • Alternatively, select File | Offline | Work Offline from the menu.
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