How to manage the Inbox for multiple POP3 accounts
For people who have multiple POP3 accounts configured, there are essentially two ways to deal with incoming emails from those accounts that allows for everything to be conveniently separated.
The first approach would be to configure each POP3 account to have email delivered to its own <Inbox> located in a separate PST file for each account. This is probably the most cumbersome approach to use since it requires checking a separate Inbox for each email account.
The alternative approach would be to use a single PST file resulting in a single Inbox for all email accounts. Essentially this is a unified <Inbox> specific for POP3 accounts. However, what many people overlook or are not aware of is that it is very simple to organize this unified Inbox so that emails are grouped by <email account> allowing a very clear and distinct separation of emails coming from individual accounts.
Configuring POP3 accounts
OL’2010 and later
There are two ways that POP3 accounts can be configured to use a single Inbox which results in the use of a single PST file being used for all the accounts. In the case where this is a brand new installation for the user, the first account configured would be set to have Outlook create a new PST file for the account. Subsequent accounts would be configured to use the existing PST file.
- this option would be selected for the first POP3 account to be configured so that Outlook automatically creates a PST file for the account
- this option would be used for all subsequent POP3 that are to be configured. This also would be the option to select if this involves a migration from another computer where a PST already exists for the account eliminating the need for any kind of exporting from the previous installation and importing to this install
If this involves POP3 accounts that are already configured with each using a separate PST file, then the process is to
- decide on which PST file is to be used by all POP3 accounts for the delivery of email. The destination PST file must already exist/been added to the profile
- change the delivery location for all POP3 accounts by clicking on the <Change Folder> button
- select the <Inbox> in the PST file to be used
- when the locations have been changed for all accounts, then move items from all folders in the PST files that are no longer being used to the corresponding folders of the primary PST file.
- once it’s confirmed that everything has been properly moved over, the extraneous PST files can be removed from the profile
For OL’2007
There is no option to select an existing PST file when initially configuring a POP3 account. In order to have all POP accounts use the same PST file, you need to change the delivery location of where email will be delivered using the same steps as shown for OL’2010+.
Organizing the <Inbox>
Once all the POP3 accounts are being delivered to the same <Inbox>, you can organize it to show emails by <email> account by changing the <View> for the <Inbox> to appear (be grouped) by <email account> as shown below. Click on the <View> tab –> View Settings –> First Group by <Email Account> and then configure to taste
Category: Outlook - How To
