Quick summary
- Term
- POP3
- Plain-English definition
- POP3 is an email protocol used to download messages from a mail server to an email client.
- Technical definition
- POP3 is an email protocol used to download messages from a mail server to an email client.
- Commonly confused with
- Related domain, DNS, registrar, API, or agent-infrastructure terms.
Definition
POP3 is an email protocol used to download messages from a mail server to an email client.
Why it matters
POP3 is older than IMAP and may not sync mail consistently across devices.