How can I keep my sent items organized across devices? (IMAP)

If you use IMAP and multiple devices, keeping your Sent folder synchronized across laptops, phones, tablets, and webmail (browser) can be challenging. This tip can help.

When using PSMail webmail through a browser, your sent items folder is called “SENT-ITEMS” (casE sEnsitivE), however each email client from Mac OS X Mail to Windows Outlook use several conventions for saving outgoing message in a “Sent” folder. These tips will help you so you can have a universal view of these folder. ย Note: This does NOT apply to you if you use POP3 to download message and not save them on the server.

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The way it should work:

You must be using IMAP for your mail on all of your devices.

You must designate a single folder on the server as your Sent folder

You must configure your mail applications to store your sent messages on the server rather than locally and they must all recognize the single Sent folder as their ‘official’ Sent folder.

iOS5: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad

Launch the Settings app

Choose Mail Contacts and Calendars

Select the account with which you are having trouble syncing the Sent folder

Under IMAP tap on your Account. (NOTE: If it says POP, then you cannot really synchronize this with other devices).

Choose Advanced at the bottom

Under Mailbox Behaviours, tap on “Sent Mailbox”

Ensure that the folder called “SENT-ITEMS” is checked under the “On the Server” section

Mac OS X 10.7 Lion (Directions should be very similar for previous versions of Mac OS X)

Open Mail and choose the “Mail” menu in the upper left. Select Preferences.

Choose the “Accounts” Tab at the top, then select the account you wish to adjust in the list on the left

Select the “Mailbox Behaviours” tab on the right

“Store sent messages on the server” should be checked. If it is not, check it.

Close the Preferences window and choose to save your changes if prompted

Follow the directions here to ensure you have selected the “SENT-ITEMS” mailbox on the server as the correct place to store Sent messages

Outlook 2007 for Windows

Select the Tools menu, then choose “Account Settings”

Go to the Email Tab if it’s not already selected

Select the email account for which you wish to adjust the Sent folder, then choose the “Change” button

Choose the “More Settings” button at the bottom of the newly opened window

Click the “Folders” tab

Select “Choose an existing folder…” if it’s not already selected, then ensure that the “SENT-ITEMS” folder is seleced to use for Sent messages in the list.

Click OK to save

[Outlook 2013 and others are similar you just have to navigate to find the IMAP settings]

Other Email client software

Walk through to find the outgoing messages or IMAP outgoing / sent messages settings and update it to use “SENT-ITEMS” so it wil be consistent with the PSMail webmail system. ย If you share your account with your spouse this can be really handy.

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