POP3 (Post Office Protocol)

POP3 (Post Office Protocol version 3) is a protocol used by email clients to retrieve messages from a mail server. When you check your email with a program like Outlook or Thunderbird, POP3 downloads your new emails from the server to your computer, then usually deletes them from the server. This means your emails are stored locally on your device after download, and they aren’t available on the server for access from other devices unless settings are adjusted. POP3 is simple and effective but offers limited flexibility for managing messages across multiple devices.