FAQ Entry: Timeouts in Outlook and Outlook Express

[Jeff G.]

Both Outlook and Outlook Express have timeouts for contacting POP3 and IMAP Servers. The following steps explain how to change those timeouts in both products for both types of Servers:

• Select the "Tools" Menu.
  
• Select the "Accounts..." Submenu.
  
• Using the Tabs along the top and the scrollbar along the right side, locate and Select the Account for which you wish to modify the timeout.
  
• Click the "Properties" Button to display the Properties of that Account.
  
• Click the "Advanced" Tab near the top right corner.
  
• In the middle of the page you should see a "Server Timeouts" Section, containing the word "Short", a Slider, and the word "Long", followed by the current Timeout Value. To decrease the Timeout Value, drag the Slider left towards the word "Short". To increase the Timeout Value, drag the Slider right towards the word "Long".
  
• Click the "OK" Button to close that Account's Properties.
  
• Select another Account and repeat the above steps, or click the "Close" Button when you are done.