Knowledge Base
Background reading on how email works, staying secure, and getting set up — separate from our step-by-step fix guides for a specific broken thing.
Email Concepts
IMAP vs POP3: What's the Difference and Which Should You Use
The two ways your mail app talks to the server, explained simply — and why IMAP is the right choice for almost everyone now.
Email ConceptsSPF, DKIM, and DMARC Explained (Without the Jargon)
What these three acronyms actually do, and why they matter if you send email from your own domain.
Getting Started
How to Set Up Email on a New Phone or Computer
A general walkthrough for adding any email account to a new device, plus what to have ready first.
Getting StartedHow to Back Up and Export Your Email
A practical way to keep a copy of your mail outside your provider, in case you ever lose access.
Getting StartedWebmail vs. a Mail App: What's Actually the Difference
Why the same account can behave differently depending on where you check it, and which one is actually right for you.
Getting StartedWhat Are Email Aliases (and Do You Need One)
A second address that lands in the same inbox — what it's actually for, and when a whole separate account makes more sense.
Getting StartedSetting Up Auto-Reply / Out of Office
How to set one up across major providers, and the most common reasons it doesn't actually send.
Getting StartedEmail Attachment Limits Explained
Why the same file sends fine to one person and bounces to another, and what to do about it.
Getting StartedWhat Is a Mailer-Daemon (and Why Did It Email Me)?
The automated sender behind every bounce message, and why seeing it in your inbox isn't a sign of a hack.
Getting StartedHow to Read Email Headers: A Beginner's Guide
What all that technical text at the top of a message actually means, and which parts are worth paying attention to.
Getting StartedArchive vs. Delete vs. Trash: What Actually Happens
Three buttons that all seem to make an email disappear, but do genuinely different things.
Getting StartedCustom Domain Email Explained
What it actually takes to use your own domain (like you@yourbusiness.com) with a major email provider.
Getting StartedThe POP Setting That Silently Deletes Your Mail
Why setting up a second device on POP can make mail vanish everywhere else — and the one setting that prevents it.
Getting StartedEmail Sending Limits and Rate Limits Explained
Why a mail merge or a message to a big group can suddenly get blocked, even when nothing else about your account changed.
Getting StartedDigital Legacy: What Happens to Your Email Account When You Die
The real, official tools major providers offer for planning ahead, and what happens by default if nobody plans for it.
Security & Privacy
How to Spot a Phishing Email
The warning signs that separate a real message from a scam, with real examples of what to look for.
Security & PrivacyWhat to Do If Your Email Account Is Hacked
The exact order of steps to take back control and limit the damage, starting with the first five minutes.
Security & PrivacyWhat Is Two-Factor Authentication (and Why It Keeps Logging You Out)
Why your email app suddenly wants a code, what it's actually protecting, and how to stop it from locking you out unnecessarily.
Security & PrivacyEmail Encryption Explained: In Transit vs. End-to-End
What's actually protected by default with most providers, and what genuinely requires something like ProtonMail.