Configuring Outlook for IMAP

These instructions were written for Outlook 2007 but should also work for Outlook 2010.

Before you begin

  1. Install Outlook.
    Outlook is a component of Microsoft Office and is installed as part of the MS Office installation.
  2. Apply available Service Packs for Office, available from the Downloads section of office.microsoft.com
    Note: A valid installation CD will be necessary to apply these updates.

Configuring Outlook

  1. Start Microsoft Outlook.

  2. Outlook 2010: Click the File tab and then click Account Settings.
    Outlook 2007: On the Tools menu, click Account Settings.

  3. With the E-mail tab selected, click New.

    Account Settings dialog box

  4. Enter the following account settings:
    • Your Name: your name
    • E-mail Address: your @Stanford email address
    • Password: leave blank
    • Retype Password: leave blank
    • Manually configure server settings: checked

    account settings

  5. Click Next.

  6. Choose Internet E-mail as your email service and then click Next.

    choose email service

  7. Enter the following email settings:
    • Your Name: your name
    • E-mail Address: your @Stanford email address
    • Account Type: IMAP
    • Incoming mail server: your sunetid.pobox.stanford.edu
    • Outgoing mail server (SMTP): smtp.stanford.edu
    • User Name: your SUNet ID
    • Password: leave blank
    • Remember password: unchecked
    • Require logon using Secure Password Authentication (SPA): unchecked

    email settings

  8. Click the More Settings button.

  9. With the General tab selected, enter a name for your mail account, such as Stanford Email, if you wish. Otherwise, the mail account name defaults to the incoming server name.

    enter name for your email account

  10. Click the Outgoing Server tab and enter the following information:
    • My outgoing server (SMTP) requires authentication: checked
    • Use same settings as my incoming mail server: selected

    outgoing email server information

  11. Click the Advanced tab and enter the following information:
    • Incoming server (IMAP): 993
    • Use the following type of encrypted connection): SSL
    • Outgoing server (SMTP): 465
      (if 465 doesn't work, use 25)
    • Use the following type of encrypted connection): SSL
      (Make sure this doesn't change your outgoing server setting, above.)

    advanced email settings

  12. Click OK to close the Internet E-mail Settings dialog box.

  13. In the Add New E-mail Account window, click Next.

  14. Click Finish to complete the setup of you email account.

    Finish email account setup

  15. Click Close to close the Account Settings dialog box.

  16. You will be prompted for your password. Enter your SUNet ID password and then click OK.. Leave the Remember Password box unchecked.

    login window

  17. The messages in your IMAP Inbox will be displayed (this may take a minute). Click the message you wish to read. Double-click the message if you want it to display in a new window.

    email Inbox

Additional information

  • To setup Outlook to work with Stanford's spam tagging system see Creating a Spam Filter in Outlook . (Outlook uses the term "rule," but a rule and a filter are the same thing.)

  • Use Outlook's online help for information about performing specific tasks. On the Help menu, click Microsoft Outlook Help.

  • Outlook disables many of the features that allow viruses to spread quickly. Outlook blocks access to attachments that contain .exe, as well as some other files types. You cannot open these files from Outlook, nor can you use Outlook to save them to your system. If you try to forward a message containing an .exe file, Outlook does not include the attachment in the forwarded message. The attachments will still be in the messages, and other programs or Outlook add-ins may be able to access them, but they will be invisible to Outlook itself.

    AttachmentOptions is a program that allows you specify which file extensions you will allow Outlook to access. Close Outlook , double-click the setup.exe file to install, then open Outlook. Go to Tools menu, and select Options. There will be a new tab called Attachment Security Options.