Learn how to switch your Xfinity Email account setup from POP to IMAP on Mac Mail.
Please note the following:
- The instructions contained in this article only apply to users who have already configured their Xfinity Email accounts via POP.
- In addition, this guide assumes that while setting up your email through POP, you chose not to retain emails in the server after downloading them to the email client.
- To learn more about using third-party email clients (e.g., Outlook, Apple Mail, Thunderbird, etc.) to access your Comcast.net email address, please see Enable/Disable Third-Party Client Access to Comcast.net Email – FAQs.
Important prerequisite
Under the Advanced tab in the Accounts window, uncheck the Remove copy from server after retrieving a message option and save any changes made.
Switch from POP to IMAP
- In the Accounts window, click on the + button displayed at the bottom.
- Enter your Comcast.net email address and password and click Continue.
- The account should be configured as IMAP by default, so simply click Create to complete the process.
Move emails from the POP to IMAP profile
If the option to delete emails from the server was initially chosen during POP account configuration, emails would have been deleted from the mail server as they were downloaded to the email client, so the newly configured IMAP account will not contain these emails.
To avoid losing these emails during the switch from POP to IMAP, you must select the emails contained in the various folders (inbox, sub folders, trash or sent items) on your POP account, and drag and drop them into the respective folder within your newly configured IMAP account. To be safe, you can also move and store these emails in an external folder.
Delete the POP profile
After your existing emails have been moved from your POP account to their corresponding newly configured IMAP folders (and after ensuring that no emails are missing), you can delete the existing POP-configured profile and its respective folders from your mail client. Then, continue using Xfinity Email through your new IMAP profile.
Additional information
Visit our Online Support Center to find common solutions.
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