Editing Email client (section)

==Retrieving messages from a mailbox==
Like most client programs, an email client is only active when a user runs it. The common arrangement is for an email user (the client) to make an arrangement with a remote [[Mail Transfer Agent]]
(MTA) server for the receipt and storage of the client's emails. The MTA, using a suitable [[mail delivery agent]] (MDA), adds email messages to a client's storage as they arrive. The remote mail storage is referred to as the user's [[E-mail Mailbox|mailbox]]. The default setting on many Unix systems is for the mail server to store formatted messages in [[mbox]], within the user's [[home directory]]. Of course, users of the system can log-in and run a mail client on the same computer that hosts their mailboxes; in which case, the server is not actually ''remote'', other than in a generic sense.

Emails are stored in the user's mailbox on the remote server until the user's email client requests them to be downloaded to the user's computer, or can otherwise access the user's mailbox on the possibly remote server. The email client can be set up to connect to multiple mailboxes at the same time and to request the download of emails either automatically, such as at pre-set intervals, or the request can be manually initiated by the user.

A user's mailbox can be accessed in two dedicated ways. The [[Post Office Protocol]] (POP) allows the user to download messages one at a time and only deletes them from the server after they have been successfully saved on local storage. It is possible to leave messages on the server to permit another client to access them. However, there is no provision for flagging a specific message as ''seen'', ''answered'', or ''forwarded'', thus POP is not convenient for users who access the same mail from different machines.

Alternatively, the [[Internet Message Access Protocol]] (IMAP) allows users to keep messages on the server, flagging them as appropriate. IMAP provides folders and sub-folders, which can be shared among different users with possibly different access rights. Typically, the ''Sent'', ''Drafts'', and ''Trash'' folders are created by default. IMAP features an [[IMAP IDLE|''idle'' extension]] for real-time updates, providing faster notification than polling, where long-lasting connections are feasible.  See also the [[#Remote messages|remote messages]] section below.

The [[JSON Meta Application Protocol]] (JMAP) is implemented using JSON APIs over HTTP and has been developed as an alternative to IMAP/SMTP.

In addition, the mailbox storage can be accessed directly by programs running on the server or via [[Clustered file system##Shared-disk|shared disks]].  Direct access can be more efficient but is less portable as it depends on the mailbox format; it is used by some email clients, including some [[#Webmail|webmail]] applications.