Every email program differs slightly, but finding out whether you're using POP or IMAP is relatively straightforward.
Open your email program and head over to settings. Again, this depends on which program you use, but we are looking for account settings.
Outlook 2016
For this example, we will be using Outlook 2016. To check whether you are using IMAP or POP, click File at the upper left-hand corner of the screen. Then click on the Account Settings box, and choose Account Settings again from the drop-down.
Your account will appear and under the Type column with appear as either POP/SMTP or IMAP/SMTP. If your account says POP/SMTP, you are using POP. IMAP/SMTP indicates you are using IMAP.
Mac Mail
On Mac Mail, click Mail from the main menu, then Preferences. From the Preference window, select Accounts at the top, and you will see your accounts listed on the left-hand column.
Take a look at Account Type under the Account Information tab. It will indicate whether the account type is POP or IMAP.
Other email clients
To find whether your account is POP or IMAP on other email clients, including mobile devices, look for your email account settings, and there generally will be a reference. If you are still unable to find it, contact the creator of the email client (Apple, Microsoft, etc.) for clarity.
Tags: email, imap, pop