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Understanding the POP3 Service

Applies To: Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2003 R2, Windows Server 2003 with SP1, Windows Server 2003 with SP2

Understanding the POP3 service

The POP3 service is an e-mail service that retrieves e-mail. Administrators can use the POP3 service to store and manage e-mail accounts on the mail server.

When the POP3 service is installed on the mail server, users can connect to the mail server and retrieve and download e-mail to their local computer. They do so by using an e-mail client that supports the POP3 protocol (such as Microsoft Outlook). The POP3 service is used with the Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) service, which sends outgoing e-mail.