Red Rhino clients receive a warning email when their mailbox is 80% and 90% full – do not ignore this, otherwise your mailbox will bounce emails back to the sender when it is full.
If this occurs to you, the information below will help you avoid this by setting up your email program so that it DOES NOT leave a copy of your messages on the server.
These instructions assume that you are configured to retrieve your email using the POP3 protocol and that it is currently configured to leave copies of the messages on the server, instead of deleting them from the server once the emails has been read/downloaded on to your computer by your chosen email programme.
For this reason, we recommended that your main PC/Laptop should be set up NOT to leave a copy on the server.
If you receive email also to your Mobile device, that should be set to leave a copy on the server, no longer than 3 days, and in some cases 1 day.
**Am I affected by this?**
This guidance applies to email accounts configured using the POP3 protocol. POP3 downloads emails to your device and – unless configured otherwise – leaves a copy on the server, which eventually fills your mailbox.
If your email account is set up using IMAP (the more modern protocol used by most current email providers), your server storage is managed automatically and you are unlikely to be affected by this issue. If you are unsure which protocol you are using, check with your email host or contact Red Rhino if we manage your hosting.
Outlook Express, Outlook 2000
1. Go to the Tools menu and choose Accounts
2. Double-click on your email account’s name
3. Go to the Advanced tab
4. Uncheck the box at the bottom that says Leave a copy of messages on the server, or check the box that says “remove from server after … days” and specify a short enough amount of days, for example “3”, and also check the last box “remove from server when deleted”.
5. Click OK
6. Click Close
Outlook 2003
1. Go to the Tools menu, choose -mail accounts, select View or change existing email accounts and click Next
2. Double-click on the name of your email account,
3. Click on the More settings button,
4. Go to the Advanced tab,
5. Uncheck the box at the bottom that says Leave copy of messages on the server, or check the box that says “remove from server after … days” and specify a short enough amount of days, for example “3”, and also check the last box “remove from server when deleted”,
6. Click OK, Next and Finish
Outlook 2016 / Outlook 2019 / Microsoft 365
Note: Modern versions of Outlook using IMAP accounts do not have a “leave copy on server” setting – this is managed automatically by the IMAP protocol. The steps below apply to POP3 accounts only. If you are unsure which protocol you are using, contact your email provider or hosting company.
1. Click the File menu and choose Account Settings, then Account Settings again from the dropdown.
2. Select your email account from the list and click Change.
3. Click More Settings in the bottom right of the window.
4. Go to the Advanced tab.
5. Under Delivery, uncheck the box that says “Leave a copy of messages on the server” – or check the box that says “Remove from server after X days” and set it to a short period such as 3 days. Also check Remove from server when deleted from Deleted Items.
6. Click OK, then Next, then Finish.
Outlook for Mac (Microsoft 365)
Note: As above, this applies to POP3 accounts only.
1. In Outlook, click Tools in the menu bar and choose Accounts.
2. Select your email account on the left-hand side.
3. Click Advanced at the bottom right of the account settings.
4. Go to the Server tab.
5. Under the POP section, uncheck Leave a copy of each message on the server – or set Delete from server to After 3 days.
6. Click OK to confirm.
Apple Mail (macOS Ventura / Sonoma and later)
Note: Apple Mail now uses IMAP as the default protocol for most accounts, which handles server copies automatically. If you are using a POP3 account, follow these steps.
1. Open Mail and go to Mail ? Settings (or Preferences on older macOS versions).
2. Click the Accounts tab and select your email account.
3. Click Server Settings.
4. Under the Incoming Mail Server section, look for the option to remove messages from the server. Set this to After one week or Right away depending on your needs.
5. Click Save to confirm.
iPhone / iPad Mail app (iOS / iPadOS)
If you also receive email on a mobile device, it should be set to leave a copy on the server so that your other devices can also receive the same messages. We recommend setting this to no longer than 3 days.
1. Go to Settings ? Mail ? Accounts.
2. Tap your email account, then tap your account name again to open the account settings.
3. Tap Advanced at the bottom.
4. Under Incoming Settings, tap Delete from Server.
5. Set this to After 3 days (or After one week at most).
6. Tap the back arrow to save.
Android Mail / Gmail app
Note: Gmail and most Android mail apps use IMAP by default. If you are using a POP3 account configured through a third-party mail app, check the app’s account settings for a “Delete from server” or “Leave copy on server” option and set it to delete after 3 days.
For Gmail accounts specifically, copies are managed by Google
automatically – no action is needed.
Mozilla Thunderbird
1. Click on the Tools menu, choose Account Settings,
2. go to the Server Settings category on the left side, under your email account,
3. Uncheck the box that says Leave messages on server, or check the box that says “for at most … days ” and specify a short enough amount of days, for example “3” , and check the other box (“until I delete or move them from inbox”)
4. Click OK to confirm