The benefits of an old-school desktop email client

If you use your email for work or for personal communication, how do you access your email? Do you access your email through your browser or through an app on your computer? Find out why using a desktop email client is still advantageous.

What is an email client?

You have likely come across an email client without realizing it. An email client is a desktop application that allows you to write, read, and send your emails. Email clients need to be downloaded, but some may come pre-loaded on your computer. An example of a desktop email client is the Outlook app on your computer. Web email clients also exist. With a webmail client, you have to access your inbox online through a browser.

Your Outlook can change everything

Spend less time organizing your life and more time enjoying it with Outlook

Learn More

Why you should use a desktop email client

Get offline access

Using a desktop email client comes with many perks. One of the biggest benefits of using a desktop email client is that you can still read or write emails when you don’t have Internet access. For example, if you work from home and your internet goes out, you can still type out and save the reply you wish to send. It’s important to note that if you lose internet access, you won’t be able to actually send or receive new emails, even with a desktop client.

Customize and personalize your email

Another benefit of using a desktop email client is that you can easily personalize and customize it. For example, you can add more buttons to the ribbon of Outlook to speed up your productivity, or you can change your email client’s theme for a more exciting look. These options aren’t usually available when you use your email in your browser.

Keep all of your emails in one place

Using a desktop email client can also make it easier to manage multiple email addresses with different domains. This means that no matter what your email provider is, you can merge them all together into one place. Adding a new email address to your Outlook is easy. To add a new email:

• Open the File tab, then select Add Account
• Enter your email address, then select Connect.
• A new window will open that will ask you to enter your password.

Speed up your workflow

Managing your workflow is easier with a desktop email client. Desktop email clients allow you to easily work with other apps on your computer. For example, in Outlook you can easily send emails to OneNote, or if you’re editing a Word document on your computer, you can quickly share it as an attachment to your email contacts. If you were trying to send a Word document with a web email client, you would have to go through the hassle of trying to find the document on your computer and then attaching it to your email.

Get extra storage

Some online webmail providers have a limited amount of storage unless you pay extra for additional storage. When you use a desktop email client, you can store your data directly on your computer, giving you access to more storage.

Advanced encryption

While many web-based email providers offer strong encryption levels, using a desktop email client can offer extra protection and stronger encryption against data breaches. Email encryption is important—if someone were to get into your email, they could eventually access your bank account, social media accounts, and more if your email is linked to those accounts.

More filtering options

Have you ever wasted precious minutes trying to find a single email? Desktop email clients typically have more powerful filtering options than webmail clients, making it easier to find the message that you’re looking for. To access advanced filters in Outlook, select the search box, then select the ˅ symbol.

Using a desktop client to read and send your emails is loaded with helpful features. If you’re interested in using Outlook as your email provider, learn which features come with a free Outlook account.