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Prerequisites
     Obtain Software
     Obtain Account Details
Install Mac Mail
Configure Mac Mail
Switching Mac Mail from POP to IMAP
     Backup your User Data File
     Delete your POP e-mail account
     Restore mail
     Adjusting to using IMAP

Prerequisites

• A Macintosh with OS X 10.4
• An SFSU Internet account
• A connection to the Internet.

Obtain Software

Mac Mail comes installed on all Macintosh computers with OS X.

Obtain Account Details

You will need:

1. Your account details by logging into SFSU E-mail Account Services. Note the text under Account, Forwarding to..., and Your Mail Server. If you do not already have an account sign up for one.
2. If you are currently forwarding your e-mail and would like to access it using this e-mail program you should remove e-mail forwarding.
3. Your Account (e.g., jdoe@sfsu.edu) will be your IMAP e-mail account address.
4. Your Mail Server (e.g., mail01a) will be your incoming and outgoing mail server in the account setup.
5. If you do not already know your password, select Change Password. This will be the password you use in your Account setup.

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Install Mac Mail

Mac Mail comes installed with Macintosh OS X.

Initial Setup

1. Navigate to where you have Mac Mail installed (e.g., Macintosh HD > Applications > Mail) then select and open Mail. The first time you open Mac Mail you will see a "Welcome to Mail" message. Select Continue.
   
       
   
2. Go to step 1a in the Configure Mac Mail section.

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Configure Mac Mail

Use the following steps to create and configure your SFSU e-mail acount using IMAP. If you already have your SFSU account configured using POP, skip to the Switching Mac Mail from POP to IMAP section.

1. Open Mac Mail. On the Menu bar, select File > Add Account
1. Select "IMAP" for Account Type. Verify that "IMAP" is selected.
2. Enter an Account Description (e.g., IMAP Account).
3. Enter your Full Name (e.g., Juana Doe).
4. Enter your Email Address (e.g., jdoe@sfsu.edu).
5. Select Continue.

    


2. Enter your Incoming Mail Server (e.g., mail01a.sfsu.edu). This is your mail server. Refer to the Prerequisites section if you do not know your mail server. Leave the Use Authentication box unchecked and the User name and Password fields blank. Select Continue.

    


3. Enter your Outgoing Mail Server (e.g., mail01a.sfsu.edu). This is your mail server. Refer to the Prerequisites section if you do not know your mail server. Leave the Use Authentication box unchecked and the User Name and Password fields blank. Select Continue.

    


4. Verify your settings then select Continue.

    


5. The Conclusion screen appears. Select Done. (If you see an "Import Mailboxes" button you may ignore it. You can read about importing mailboxes from other mail clients in Mac Mail's help and, if appropriate, follow the instructions there to do so.)

    


6. If the Welcome screen appears asking if you would like to see what's new, select No.

    


7. On the Menu bar, select Mail > Preferences.
8. Select Accounts. Verify that the Incoming Mail Server and Outgoing Mail Server (SMTP) match your e-mail server (e.g., mail01a.sfsu.edu). If not, select them and change them to your e-mail server.

    


9. Select Server Settings located below Outgoing Mail Server (SMTP).
1. Change the Server port to 465.
2. Check the Use Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) checkbox.
3. Select Password from the Authentication drop-down box.
4. Enter your User Name.
5. Enter your Password.
6. Select OK.

    


10. Close the Accounts window.
11. You will be asked if you would like to save changes. Select Save.

    


12. Verify that your e-mail is working by sending a test e-mail to yourself.
13. Congratulations! Your e-mail is configured and ready to be used.

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Switching Mac Mail from POP to IMAP

Backup your User Data files

1. To backup the Mail folder do the following:
1. Launch the Finder by selecting the icon on the dock. Select the Home button. Select and open the Library folder.
2. Copy the entire Mail folder to your back up media (such as a blank cdr, zip drive, etc).
3. When you are ready to restore the Mail folder, choose File > Import Mailboxes. Select Mail for Mac OS X, and locate the Mail folder that you backed up.
2. To back up your Mail preferences do the following:
1. Launch the Finder by selecting the icon on the dock. Select the Home button. Select and open the Library folder.
2. Select and open the Preferences folder.
3. Copy the com.apple.mail.plist file to your back up media.
3. For more information, visit the Backing up E-mail on a Macintosh Web page.

Move all messages in your POP Inbox to a local (i.e., on your computer) mailbox

1. Disable automatic POP downloads.
1. On the Menu bar, select Mail > Preferences
2. Select your SFSU POP account
3. Select Advanced.
4. Uncheck Include when automatically checking for new mail.
   
5. Close the Accounts window.
2. Create a local mailbox
   1. Select New Mailbox... from the Mailbox menu.
      
   2. Location should already be set to On My Mac. Enter a name for your new mailbox. The name should make it clear what the contents are (e.g., jdoe@sfsu.edu POP Inbox).
      
3. Select all message in your POP Inbox
   1. Select Inbox. You should see the mail in your Inbox on the right.
   2. Select Select All from the Edit menu. The mail showing on the right should all be highlighted.
      
4. Click and drag the selected messages into the local mailbox you created.
   
5. Verify that there are no messages in your Inbox and that the messages and that the messages you moved from the Inbox are in your new mailbox.

Delete your POP e-mail account

1. On the Menu bar, select Mail > Preferences
1. Select your SFSU POP account.
2. Select the - (minus sign) in the lower left hand corner.

    


2. Select OK to verify that you want to delete the selected e-mail account.



3. Close the Accounts window.
4. Continue with the Configure Mac Mail Section.

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Adjusting to using IMAP

• Critical Information: The mailboxes and folders you see under your new account (e.g., jdoe@sfsu.edu) reside on the mail server, not on your computer.  As a result:
• If you delete a message from one of these folders on one computer it will be gone from every computer you check mail from.
• Once a message is deleted from the server it is not easy to have it restored.  It is impossible after thirty days.
• If you want specific messages saved locally on a computer, you can make local folders then copy or move the messages from the server into the local folders.
• The time taken to refresh a folder on the server increases with the number of messages in the folder.  To keep refresh time down, try to keep the number of messages in any folder below 1000.  The inbox on the server is refreshed every time your mail client checks for new messages, so it is especially important to keep the number of messages in the inbox low.
• Also included with your new IMAP account will be the Archive, Junk E-mail, Sent, Sent Items, and Trash folders.
• The Trash folder under your new account (e.g., jdoe@sfsu.edu). will contain any messages deleted from your new inbox.
• The Sent folder under your new account (e.g., jdoe@sfsu.edu) will contain any new messages sent from your account.
• To permanently remove messages marked as deleted, select Mailbox > Erase Deleted Messages > IMAP Account.
• Keep your inbox to less than 1000 messages.

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Last Modified: 02 May 2008
doit@sfsu.edu