POP, or Post Office Protocol, lets you download messages from Gmail's servers onto your computer so you can access your mail with a program like Microsoft Outlook Express or Netscape Mail, even when you aren't connected to the Internet.
POP access is free for all Gmail users, and we have no plans to charge for it in the future. If you're thinking about using POP, however, we encourage you to consider IMAP, which offers all the benefits listed above plus two-way communication between your web Gmail and your email client.
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