> ## Knowledge Base Index
> Fetch the complete knowledge base index at: https://help.ex2.com/sitemap.xml
> Use this file to discover available pages before exploring further.
> Pure-Markdown content can be obtained by appending a '.md' suffix to the content URLs listed in the sitemap (without the trailing slash).

# What is the POP messaging protocol?

## The POP messaging protocol

POP3 stands for _Post Office Protocol 3_. It allows you to download copies of your emails to your personal computer. 

You can make changes to local copies of email accounts. Of course, these will not be visible to other users or devices. Therefore, messages sent, moved or deleted from a device using POP can only be viewed on that computer.

Copies of email messages on the server remain unchanged. However, it is easy to configure your POP3 program to remove these server copies when you download them, or at a later time.

### POP is recommended for:

* Users who prefer to keep a backup of all their messages.
* Users who have very little time to read their emails
* Users who need to archive permanent copies of their emails.