IMAP
Technology & Computing abbreviation · Networking
| Stands for | Internet Message Access Protocol |
|---|---|
| Categories | Technology & Computing |
IMAP stands for Internet Message Access Protocol, a networking abbreviation.
Lets email apps read and manage messages that stay stored on the mail server, keeping folders, read status and deletions synchronized across phones, laptops and webmail. IMAP uses port 143, or 993 with TLS encryption.
Example: Set up the account using IMAP so your phone and laptop show the same inbox.
Usage notes
Designed by Mark Crispin in 1986; the current version, IMAP4rev2, is RFC 9051 (2021). It displaced POP3 for most users because people now check mail on several devices. Mailbox size depends on server storage, since messages are not downloaded and deleted by default. Gmail, Outlook.com and iCloud Mail all offer IMAP access.
Related abbreviations
More networking abbreviations
- HTTP – Hypertext Transfer Protocol
- HTTPS – Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure
- IANA – Internet Assigned Numbers Authority
- ICANN – Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers
- ICMP – Internet Control Message Protocol
- IETF – Internet Engineering Task Force
- IP – Internet Protocol
- IPsec – Internet Protocol Security
- IPv4 – Internet Protocol version 4
- IPv6 – Internet Protocol version 6
- IRC – Internet Relay Chat
- IS-IS – Intermediate System to Intermediate System