Better IMAP in Outlook 2010

I use IMAP with Gmail. I work on two different computers or I would probably use POP. I gave 2010 a whirl and it does WORK.

HOWEVER, I formatted my desktop hoping that I could move my PST file with 5 gb of mail in it to a new Outlook 2010 install. NOT THE CASE. Does it work? Yes. Is it sustainable? No, not really.

I also need to be able to copy the PST file to another workstation and not redownload all of my mail from the beginning. That, or give up the nirvana of having every mail message since the beginning of time at my fingertips, especially in the event that Gmail fails.

Andy,

We've recently switched over to imap email and are having some 'growing pains."  We frequently use the flag feature with our email, but since we've switched, it doesn't show up in the "for follow-up" folder.  Is there a setting I need to change or a rule I need to create to fix this?

Thanks so much for your help!

@phendren, a great place to get answers for technical support questions is http://answers.microsoft.com/, a community forum where you can post questions and receive responses from Microsoft MVPs, support personnel, and other users.

I wanted to do the switch from Windows Live Mail 2011/Thunderbird to Outlook 2010 but even in WLM is the IMAP support much more advanced (and it looks pretty similar to Outlook 2010). I can select there not just special folders like "Sent" and "Trash", there is also "Drafts" and "Spam" selectable. And the best is: its free. BUT i really would like to switch to Outlook but until the IMAP support is less advanced as in WML or Thunderbird there is now way to pay 150$ for it.

Big troubles with my customer due to SLOW delete on IMAP.  Just installed 5 new computers for principles at a local company including office 2010.  The had 2007 which was fine with their link with gmail via IMAP.  Now it takes 15 seconds to delete a message on the president's new desktop.  He is livid, tells me this is not acceptable and I AM HOLDING YOUR BAG.  Microsoft...   What am I supposed to do?  I see lots of folks with similar trouble and NO ANSWERS.  

So, are you messing this up just to interfere with gmail?  Do you have something against IMAP?  What gives and why so silent on this issue?????

Can't help but notice the resounding silence form MS on this, nothing....

FALSE HOPE: Outlook imap functionality and performance is garbage; it is pathetically SLOW and lacks both the speed and functionality of freeware email application called Thunderbird. Cha Ching! ... I recently installed the Microsoft Office 2010 Suite and was excited to have the functionality and integration of Office 2010.  What a disappointment to configure Outlook with imap to Gmail.  Silly me, I thought I could replace Thunderbird email client with Outlook email client. Microsoft has once again won the bloatware awards with Outlook.  My post is a drop in a ocean of a continuous posted complaints about Outlook imap's disgusting performance that go back to April 8th, 2010. I have used Microsoft products continuously since 1985 and I have come to loathe Microsoft.

Hi,

My clients have been moaning about how futile Outlook 2010 is with IMAP. Not everyone has Exchange Server and not everyone wants it either even though the server product is an excellent product.

Given that my clients have a situation where all emails disappear and then are re-downloaded which freezes the Outlook client - it is unusable for IMAP and not fit for purpose.

Can someone from Microsoft pls look at the issues raised here including the one mentioned above and pls try to resolve this as clients are going elsewhere in droves for their email software.

Many Thanks.

Hi

Every time I save unsent message, it would not appear in my normal (gmail) Draft folder. Instead it goes into Outlook Draft folder. whereas, all my other files are in the gmail folders. Why do I have two systems and can i just keep one?

Regards

ahk

I love the new 2010 Office - it looks awesome and very userr-friendly.

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Hi, I accidentally removed the filter that hides deleted imap mail in Outlook 2010 - now it all appears as 'strikethrough' again until refreshed - could you tell me how to put it back? Many thanks.

Did you get your issue solved?  I am having the same problem.

I have just fully converted to IMAP on Gmail after years of using POP. The idea of having all my messages on a server so that I can access my emails from any device is something I have been waiting for for years; at one point I even considered creating/paying for my own MS Exchange account to gain the functionality of exchange. When I heard about IMAP, I figured it would be just as good as exchange - how wrong I was. While IMAP is an incredible leap forward from POP, it still has a long way to go. Admittedly, after I upgraded to Outlook 2010 IMAP seemed to get much better, but there are still a LOT of issues - most of which centre around Outlook not integrating properly with IMAP servers. The list is huge: (still) slow interface, no email alerts like you get with POP and exchange (workaround with Rules is clunky and not the same), Rules tend to mark messages as read when they are not, no dedicated IMAP Outbox or Drafts, Junk email folder and filtering not integrated with server-side filtering (cannot tell outlook to put Junk in the 'Spam' folder and treat it as such). Setting up your IMAP in Outlook takes hours or days when you include time spent to work out the kinks, as opposed to Exchange or POP.

A non-tech oriented person woudln't have a hope in hell of setting up their IMAP in Outlook properly, which is arguably its greatest downfall - if non-techies do only one thing with a PC, it is checking email. And if Microsoft wants those older mums and dads out there to purchase and use Outlook, they need to make it the best it can be.

Microsoft, you were wise to work on Outlook's IMAP interface - but you have some more work to do. Please get Outlook 2010 working seamlessly with its next Service Pack!

Outlook 2010 is a great tool but the IMAP implementation has to be the worst of ANY email client that I have ever used. In fact IMAP performs NO BETTER on 2010 overall than 2003. I am really getting to the end of my patience with these IMAP issues.

There simply should be no excuses for the apalling lag experienced when clicking on the mailbox, or an email, deleting, etc. I have tried all the "tips", tried IMAP on different hosting companies and domains, but they do NOT address the fundamental problem that there is a DESIGN PROBLEM for IMAP in Outlook.

It's not rocket science, and exactly the same IMAP accounts that are excuciatingly slow in Outlook are rapid and smooth in the free client Windows Live Mail, Thundebird, Evolution, etc! Can you believe that? An expensive and heavily engineered corporate product being massively inferior to a free MS WLM product?! And one of those IMAP accounts s hosted on Office 365. Go figure!!!! What on Earth is MS doing?!

Why doesn't the Oulook team communicate and learn from the WLM team?! Too arrogant or what exactly? While corporate internal games and smokestacks continue, we the customers are having a really agonising xperience with IMAP on Outlook.

I have to use IMAP to connect to an MS Exchange account because using the native exchange configuration forces my default calendar and contact to be in Exchange, which I do not want.

Come on MS, issue a proper IMAP fix for 2010 and earlier versions and not have us forced to upgrate to a future version of Outlook promising a better IMAP experience, but not delivering. There is NO reason why IMAP in Outlook cannot perform as well as in WLM; no reason whatsover.

Is any one from the Outlook Program team actually a) reading these comments b) taking any actions? If so, can we have a real update, not a corporate-speak PR message? Thank you!