The fact that we have to use e-mail almost every day is not discussed. In addition to the fact that electronic mailboxes are designed for their direct functions of receiving and sending letters, the mail address is very often used to confirm registrations on some sites or in Internet services. Accordingly, each user needs to have quick access to their correspondence. But which email programs to use? Further, it is proposed to consider several tools, after describing the functionality of which any user will be able to choose the most suitable application or service.
Mail programs for Windows: the main varieties
So let's get started. To get started, let's figure out what characteristics or tunable parameters such applications should have and what they are in general.
It is clear that the main purpose of any such program or service in the Internet space is convenient work with electronic correspondence. In addition, when choosing an email program for Windows 7 or for any other system modification, one of the most important criteria is the presence in the applications of a notification system, most often associated with incoming messages. As the simplest example, one can cite the notorious Mail.Ru Agent applet, which is both a messenger and a tool for working with the same mail service on the Internet. At startup, the client checks the mail and signals that correspondence has arrived on the mailbox (the program uses a flashing envelope in the system tray for this).
On the other hand, mail programs can be conditionally divided into stationary and portable applications, and also include Internet mail services in the list. Indeed, in a sense, they are also software applets. And for all types of email programs you should immediately consider some of the restrictions set by developers. This applies to the maximum size of letters sent and received. In addition, it is worth checking whether the application has the ability to quickly save messages not only on the incoming message server of the provider or a third-party software developer, but also in cloud storages, if Internet mail services are preferred.
Configure Windows-based email programs: basic steps
And for starters, consider the tools that can be used on Windows systems without installing third-party programs. Apparently, many have already guessed that we are talking about Outlook Express mail clients, which is built into the Windows shell below the eighth, the Outlook application and the Mail client (sometimes Windows Live Mail). Previously, the first two programs recognized and configured mailboxes only for those addresses that corresponded to the provider's server. It was impossible to use mailboxes like Gmail, Yandex or Mail.Ru. Over time, applications have received much more features, and now you can connect any mail server.
As for the basic settings, all procedures boil down to correctly specifying the types of servers for incoming (POP3 IMAP, HTTP) and outgoing messages (SMTP), as well as select the necessary ports whose numbers correspond to the services used (usually 110 and 25).
Let's look at the basic settings in Windows Live Mail. If this software product is not in the system, it can be downloaded directly from the Windows Live service. We note immediately that the options used are the same for all applications and can be used for installation in third-party utilities.
So, first you need to add a registration entry. As a rule, when starting any application, the “Wizard” automatically starts, allowing you to set the necessary parameters extremely quickly and simply.
The first step is to enter the email address and password for the box. The example shows the Yandex service (mail programs, as already mentioned, now work with Internet mail services without problems).
At the next stage, server addresses are entered, and the necessary ports are indicated, as shown in the image above. It is worth noting that their numbers are standard for all services (with rare exceptions). Upon completion of the setup, an incoming welcome message usually appears in the mail. As additional parameters, you can set the options for saving copies of letters on the server so that you can view accidentally deleted correspondence.
Internet Mail Services
As for Internet services, it is completely optional to use Windows programs or third-party clients. Actually, each such service offers owners of registered mailboxes to download special utilities for quick access (take the same “Mail.Ru Agent”).
When using such applications, client setup is further simplified because the user only needs to specify an email address, and all other options will be set automatically.
Most popular email clients
Now let's take a look at the most popular email programs, which occupy the top lines in the ratings. To date, a lot of such applications have been developed, and it is impossible to describe them all simply physically. Therefore, we will focus on the five most frequently downloaded utilities:
- Opera Mail;
- Mozilla Thunderbird;
- eM Client;
- SeaMonkey;
- The Bat !.
Opera Mail
This email client is an integral part of the Internet browser of the same name and shows fairly high test results.
It’s very simple to configure, has special anti-spam features, custom filters for the distribution of incoming messages by subject, allows you to configure for several mailboxes, significantly saves traffic and shows a fairly high speed. The only drawbacks are the addition of advertising information at the end of the letter and problems with the registration of some types of accounts. But in general, the program looks pretty good.
Mozilla thunderbird
Among the email programs, this application is perhaps one of the best. First of all, in this client, it should be noted a reliable system of protection against spam and extraneous interference, simplicity of settings, which should please ordinary users, support for many mailboxes, a convenient interface, support for working with Windows clients, personalization when setting up visual effects and themes, availability structured address book, spell checker and full HTML support.
Separately, it is worth noting the fact that received messages in different mailboxes can be configured so that all of them will be stored in one folder. The disadvantages include too hard protection, which can sometimes cause problems with the speed of receiving or opening incoming emails. But basically there are no complaints about the application.
eM Client
If we talk about mail programs for Windows 10 and systems of a lower rank, you can not ignore this application.
The program has almost the same capabilities as the above-described clients, and allows you to use not only mail, but also view news with the activation of RSS feeds, but also connect additional modules for synchronization with accounts of popular instant messengers like Jabber, IRC, ICQ, QIP, etc. d.
True, the fact that the completely free version of the program has a limitation on pluggable mailboxes is only two saddens.
Seamonkey
This application can be called one of the most stable in operation. The main advantage of this applet is that it is absolutely optional to install it on your hard drive - just download the portable version, perform the initial setup and use it as a regular application.
Distinctive features of this program are: the presence of advanced tools for developers (DOM, JavaScript), as well as a built-in Internet browser, which, however, is not always recognized by Windows systems as used by default.
The bat!
Finally, we have before us the most popular customer. Despite the fact that the program is paid, the vast majority of users give preference to it.
Not to mention the main features, which are practically no different from previous programs, we should separately note a security system that uses SSL / TLS encryption, which allows you to save correspondence not in the cloud on a remote server, but directly on the computer’s hard drive.
Envelope Application
Finally, a few words about the "Mail Envelopes" program. For the most part, it is designed to quickly create envelopes with automatic completion of all necessary fields based on templates and in full accordance with accepted rules and standards. Of course, the application does not deal with electronic mailing, but it allows you to prepare correspondence for sending, so to speak, in a classic way through post offices. A huge advantage of this application can be called the ability to record sent letters, for which the application has special tools. In addition, this software package allows you to import information data from XLS and CSV formats with automatic address recognition.