To set up server settings in Microsoft Outlook, you'll typically be configuring either a new email account or modifying an existing account's settings.
Here’s a step-by-step guide for both scenarios.
Setting Up a New Email Account
1. Open Microsoft Outlook.
2. Navigate to Account Settings:
- Click on File in the top left corner.
- Select Account Settings, then Account Settings again from the dropdown.
3. Add a New Account:
- In the Account Settings window, click on New under the Email tab.
4. Choose Account Type:
- Select either Email Account or Manual setup or additional server types depending on your needs. Click Next.
5. Enter Your Information:
- If you selected Email Account, fill in your name, email address, password, and check for server settings automatically.
- If you chose Manual setup, select your account type (IMAP, POP, or Exchange) and fill in the server information, including incoming and outgoing server addresses, port numbers, and encryption methods.
6. Incoming and Outgoing Server Settings:
For IMAP:
- Incoming (IMAP) Server: mail.centurylink.net - Port 993 with SSL/TLS
- Outgoing (SMTP) Server: smtp.centurylink.net - Port 587 with TLS or Port 465 with SSL
For POP3:
- Incoming (POP3) Server: pop.centurylink.net - Port 995 with SSL/TLS
- Outgoing (SMTP) Server: smtp.centurylink.net - Port 587 with TLS or Port 465 with SSL
7. Authentication:
- Ensure that "My outgoing server (SMTP) requires authentication" is checked. You may need to enter your login credentials.
8. Finish Setup:
- Click Next and Outlook will test your account settings. If all tests are successful, click Close and then Finish.
Additional information:
- When you set up your email program, you may be prompted to "leave a copy of your emails on the server." We recommend you accept this option.
- "Email Size Limit" refers to the size of a single email, and "Send To Limits" include the To, CC and Bcc fields in emails. These limits are the same whether you're using webmail or SMTP.
More about POP/SMTP and IMAP server settings
SMTP, POP3 and IMAP are different ways your email program (say, Outlook) communicates with your email provider (CenturyLink). Here are some simplified explanations:
- POP3 (Post Office Protocol) - Like its name implies, POP3 is the equivalent of the post office. It's for storing your email.
- SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) - SMTP gets your email from one place to the next, routing it between servers and eventually to your computer desktop. An SMTP port sends an email through a network and to its recipient. If you were sending snail mail, it would be the mailman. CenturyLink filters port 25 for increased security. Learn more about port 25 filtering.
- IMAP (Internet Message Access Protocol) - IMAP is a fancier version of POP3. For instance, with IMAP, you can keep your email on the server, something you can't do with POP3. IMAP requires more server space and computing power to operate.