cPanel includes three webmail interfaces

Webmail is a useful tool, even if you rarely need it. Perhaps your regular e-mail method is to have your new mail downloaded into a mail client on your computer, such as Eudora, Windows Mail, or Apple Mail. When you’re away from your computer but want to check your mail or send a message, webmail is the answer.

Of course, webmail can serve as your primary mail tool. I used to have my mail downloaded into Microsoft Outlook running on my PC. Once I began travelling extensively, often without a laptop, it became more convenient to make webmail my primary method. No matter where in the world I am, I can connect to e-mail account on my web hosting server to see new mail, past mail, and all my contacts.

cPanel hosting provides three webmail interfaces:

• Horde
• SquirrelMail
• RoundCube

To access any of these, point your web browser to domain.com/webmail/ (where “domain.com” is your cPanel domain). Login using your full e-mail address and password. You’ll then be presented with this menu screen:

Click to select the webmail application you want to use.

Many hosting clients are confused as to how these webmail applications work. Clients will post in a help forum about how some of their mail is “in Horde webmail” and they aren’t sure how to send it to RoundCube. Here’s the key point: these webmail applications are just interfaces. They do not store your mail. They are just different ways of viewing and using your mail account.

A cPanel mail account resides on the server, within a part of your web hosting account. Mail server software handles the receipt, storage and sending of mail messages. All that happens no matter what mail software you use.

When you use, for example, Horde to view your mail account, your mail remains in the same place. You can use Horde this morning, SquirrelMail this afternoon, and RoundCube tomorrow, still accessing the same mail account. In fact, it’s a good idea to do this, to decide which webmail interface you prefer.

Now, if your regular mail method is software running on your local PC or Mac, things work somewhat differently. You may have that software set to download new mail and then delete it from the mail server. If so, you’re likely using a mail protocol called POP (short for Post Office Protocol). This differs from IMAP, the protocol used by those webmail interfaces. In a future post I will explain the differences between POP and IMAP.

Check out cPanel’s webmail options. Whether for occasional use or as your default tool, you’ll find them useful.