We recommend you choose IMAP unless you're forced to use POP3 by your provider. IMAP keeps a copy on the web server so if you need to access the same emails in multiple places they'll be there. POP3 downloads to the device and removes it from the web server, thus only accessible on one device and can cause data loss if you're not careful.

IMAP is real time, if you delete an email on your phone, tablet or laptop, it will delete it on all those devices!

IMAP Settings
Incoming Mail Server:
imap.xtra.co.nz
Incoming port: 993 (TLS)

Outgoing server:
send.xtra.co.nz
Outgoing port: 465 (TLS)
Username: Your full email address, for example, joe.bloggs@xtra.co.nz

POP3 Settings
These are the standard settings used by most email apps. POP3 uses a lot more space on your computer as it stores a copy of all your emails on your computer. If there are lots of emails to download, it could use a lot of data when setting your email up for the first time. Windows 8 Mail does not support POP3.

Incoming server: pop3.xtra.co.nz
Incoming port: 995 (TLS)
Outgoing server: send.xtra.co.nz
Outgoing port: 465 (TLS)
Username: Your full email address, for example, joe.bloggs@xtra.co.nz

We personally prefer using Outlook/Hotmail as it's simplicity and powered by Microsoft. Google Mail is another popular offering but personally it's a little clunky for our liking. Other more security focused providers include Protonmail, Fastmail among others. We recommend shying away from small email hosting providers as they are notorious for getting their IPs blacklisted which will result in many missing emails.

Most common issue is they are in your junk/spam folder, if not there then in your Other folder rather than your Focused if you are using the two mailbox options (common with Microsoft 365, Hotmail).

If still nothing, send yourself a test email from another email address or ask a friend or partner and see if they get a bounce message, if they do then have a look at the message.

It will say the reason for rejection, it may be something such as the mailbox does not exist - which usually means you haven't paid your bill (common with Google). If it says the mailbox is full, you'll need to delete some emails. If it's more serious then please contact Kapiti IT and we can assist you to decipher the error and advise on the next steps.

If this happens you will nearly always receive an immediate bounce/error message or a delayed response. Once you've got this message read through the message and find the reason for the email being generated. It will usually say the message was rejected by the receivers end due to a number of reasons;

It will usually say it's full or no longer exists. The latter being related to likely not paying a bill or being blocked for spam or something similar. You'll need to call or message your contact another way and ask them to resolve.

If the message says your IP has been blacklisted or rejected due to failing a DKIM or SFP check, then you'll need to speak with your own email hosting provider. If this is Microsoft or Google it can be tricky but will likely be affecting more than one person. If you've got your own email hosting (i.e. Microsoft Business) speak to your IT guy or give us a ring and we can help you. If it's a small email host such as a local NZ business, give them a ring or log a ticket.

If you happen to have an IMAP email service or use one of the big companies such as Microsoft, Google, Protonmail, Hotmail or Yahoo then this won't be too much of an issue as you can recreate the Outlook profile and delete the old one. Your emails will redownload again - depending on how many you've got this might take a while.

The problem has always been those using POP3 - it is quite old technology now but we do see some people using it still and this can be problematic if Outlook profile is corrupt, and/or your computer packs up and requires reformatting as you would lose everything.

Please give us a ring if you need help with recreating an Outlook profile.