Communicator Help: Getting Started With AOL<sup><font size=-2>®</font></sup> Communicator

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Getting Started With AOL Communicator

Using AOL Communicator Offline

You can continue to use AOL Communicator even when you're offline—that is, even when your computer isn't connected to the Internet. This can be useful, for example, when you're traveling or temporarily disconnected from the Internet.

There are several ways you can make your offline experience with AOL Communicator more convenient. The sections that follow summarize your offline-related options:

Going Offline
Storing Messages Locally
Using the Outbox
Reconnecting

Going Offline

When you go offline, or if your Internet connection is inadvertently lost, you will probably see messages about mail servers not being available, and the names of your accounts will change to italics to indicate that they're not currently available for sending or receiving mail.

The name of an account can also change to italics if one of its servers becomes temporarily unavailable, even if your Internet connection is still working.

In either case, you can continue working with an offline account if you follow the procedures described in the sections that follow.

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Storing Messages Locally

When you set up an AOL member account or an ISP account that uses IMAP, your mail is stored on the server. By default, only the message headers are displayed in your AOL Communicator Mail inbox.

When you first set up such an account, you have the option of selecting the option labeled "Make my mail in this account available offline". You can also change this option at any time after you set up an account.

When the "Store message locally" option is selected for an account, all the messages available for that account (not just the headers) are copied to the account's folders on your computer, so you can read, rearrange, or delete them when you're offline. When you go online again, AOL Communicator Mail synchronizes any changes you've made with the copies on the server.

Lots of messages take longer to store: If you have more than a hundred stored messages and a slow connection, the initial download process (after you first select the offline option) can take some time.

Related topic:

You can turn the "Store messages locally" option off or on at any time after you've set up an account. For instructions, see Storing Messages for Offline Use.

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Using the Outbox

When you're working offline and you've finished composing a message, you can store it temporarily in the Outbox under Local Mail. Just click Send as you would normally. You'll see a message telling you that the message has been stored in your Outbox.

The next time you go online, AOL Communicator Mail asks whether you want to send your unsent messages. If you click Yes, all messages in the Outbox (including messages from several different accounts) will be sent.

If you click No, AOL Communicator Mail will remind you again later. While you're still online, you can also open the File menu at any time and choose Send Messages in Outbox to send the stored messages.

Don't forget the Drafts folder: If you're composing a message that you want to send later, but you think you might make further changes to it, click Save Draft. This saves the message in the Drafts folder for the account you're sending it from. You can reopen messages stored in a Drafts folder at your convenience and work on them some more.

If you have chosen to store your AOL or IMAP messages for a given account locally, the contents of the Drafts folder will also be available locally when you're offline.

Related topic:

You can turn the Store messages locally option off or on at any time after you've set up an account. For instructions, see Storing Messages for Offline Use.

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Reconnecting

When you go back online after using AOL Communicator offline, AOL Communicator Mail will ask if you want to send any messages you may have accumulated in the Outbox of your Local Mail directory. Click Yes if you want to send them right away, or No if you want to wait.

If you click No, Communicator Mail will keep reminding you until you either click Yes or open the File menu and choose Send Messages in Outbox.

After you go back online, the names of your accounts in the Mail window should no longer be in italics. If you have difficult reconnecting with one or more accounts—for example, if some account names remain italicized—exit the program and relaunch it.

If you made any changes to any of your AOL Communicator Address Book entries while you were offline, the changes will automatically be synchronized with the AOL Address Book as soon as you go online again.

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The sections in this document that discuss security, encryption, and privacy are provided by AOL for your information only. They may help you take certain steps to protect the privacy and security of your personal information on the Internet. This document does not, however, address all online privacy and security issues, nor does it represent a recommendation by AOL about what constitutes adequate privacy and security protection on the Internet.

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Last Updated September 16, 2003