While hosting a website takes a relatively small amount of space, even for a seemingly large site, email and attachments can accumulate on the server until all your allotted disk space is used up. Space not only accumulates the email you receive, but also the email you send, the email that goes into the trash and the email that is classified as junk.

Our hosting packages alone are not meant to handle high volume email accounts unless one of the methods 1 – 3 below are used in accordance with the noted policies.

For hosting accounts with multiple (more than 3 - 5) email addresses or 1 - 2 high volume email accounts, a paid, hosted email solution through Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, or similar paid email hosting service is highly recommended.

The following are some popular methods for email hosting:

1. EMAIL VIA POP3: Download to an email client (program) on your computer such as Microsoft Outlook, Mozilla Thunderbird, Mac Mail, etc. All email is archived on your computer.
   1. POLICY: Monterey Bay Design policy requires that your email program must be set to automatically remove email from the server.
2. EMAIL VIA IMAP: Your email is set up much like POP3 (on a program on your computer.) IMAP retains ALL email on the server and syncs with your computer’s email program.
   1. POLICY: When using IMAP, you must regularly move email to local folders. This can be as seldom as once a year depending on email volume, but it will prevent your resources from being used up and will speed up your email.
3. EMAIL VIA GMAIL: Use your new or existing Gmail account to send and receive domain-based email.
   1. POLICY: Monterey Bay Design policy requires that Gmail must be configured to NOT leave email on the server.
4. GOOGLE WORKSPACE is a paid, hosted suite of apps from Google.
   1. Recommend for high volume email or accounts with multiple email addresses.
5. MICROSOFT 365 is a paid, hosted suite of apps from Microsoft.
   1. Recommend for high volume email or accounts with multiple email addresses.

Alternate Methods

1. EMAIL VIA FORWARDING: Quick and easy, your email address can be created as strictly a forward which can be directed to any email address you want.
   1. Downside: You cannot SEND from your domain-based address
   2. Downside: Forwards, while easy and handy, have the potential to cause the blacklisting of your email address

Please note that the following methods are not recommended as your ONLY email access and should only be used with the provision that if the volume is high enough, email will require periodic deletion or disk space must be upgraded.

2. BROWSER-BASED EMAIL is a means of accessing email on the server directly via your browser. https://webmail.yourdomainname.com
   1. Enter your full email address and email password at the login prompt and choose an email service to use. We recommend RoundCube.
   2. If you are logging into a public or shared computer, do not save your login details and always log out when you are through.
3. SMARTPHONE OR TABLET ONLY: These devices can be configured to remove email from the server, but as these devices have limited capacity, it is not recommended that this is your only method of email retrieval.
   1. If you have a main computer and you use IMAP settings on your mobile device, you should set it to never delete from the server. In this way, you can delete from your phone, but leave email on the server to retrieve from your home computer.

Email Via POP3 Server Settings

Use the settings below to configure your laptop or desktop computer’s email program.

When setting up a POP account on some devices (iPad, iPhone, etc.), it is often necessary to access ADVANCED or OTHER setup, since simple setup on these devices will default to IMAP without giving you a choice.

Choose POP (or POP3) as your method for incoming mail. IMPORTANT: Configuration should be set to remove email from the server after download.

Use Connection Security SSL/TLS

Email Via IMAP Server Settings

Use the settings below to configure your laptop or desktop computer’s email program. These are the same settings for mobile device email setup.

When using IMAP, you must regularly move email to local folders on your computer. This will prevent your resources from being used up and will speed up your email.

Choose IMAP as your method for incoming mail.

Use Connection Security SSL/TLS

Offload Email to Local Folders

All email programs (Thunderbird, Outlook, MacMail, etc.) have a LOCAL account.  When you use IMAP as your email protocol instead of POP3, your email account is accessing the REMOTE email server directly and all email is being stored on the server instead of on your computer. (POP3 downloads email from the server and it is stored directly on your computer.)

When using IMAP, you must regularly move email to local folders and delete email from the server. This can be as seldom as once a year depending on email volume, but this procedure will prevent your resources from being used up and will speed up your email.

This procedure varies between email programs.  Google “local folders” and the name of your email program for more detailed instructions.

e.g., “create local folders outlook” or “move imap mail to local folder outlook”

1. Create Local Folders that duplicate the folders on the remote server.
   1. This includes Sent, Inbox, Drafts or any customized folders you’ve created – or that you wish to create.
      1. Optionally, you can create a single folder to hold ALL remote email; however, by duplicating exactly what’s on the server, you will ensure that all email will be stored for ease of access.
   2. Once Local Folders are created, copy/move remote email in each folder to the corresponding local
   3. Once all desired email is moved/copied and confirmed to be in local folders, DELETE all REMOTE email.
      1. Be certain all desired email is in Local Folders. Once email is deleted from the remote server, it cannot be recovered.