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WiscMail Home

WiscMail is a service of University of Wisconsin, providing web-based and client email to all faculty, staff and students. WiscMail may be accessed from within the My UW-Madison portal or from a local email client. WiscMail provides valuable features including IMAP folders, secure login, Web access, virus scanning, spam filtering and much more.

WiscMail includes the following features

POP vs IMAP

IMAP

The first service is Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP). The IMAP service allows you to store up to 200 MB of messages and attachments on the server. IMAP also allows you to save and organize important messages in online folders. Your IMAP folders and messages can be accessed from any email client configured for WiscMail or the WiscMail web client.

WiscMail provides IMAP services to a complete set of popular email clients.

POP

In contrast, older mail systems use Post Office Protocol (POP) services. POP systems downloaded messages to the client allowing virtually no synchronization between computers used to read your mail. WiscMail will continue to support clients configured for POP access. POP users are encouraged to reconfigure their email clients to take advantage of IMAPs many features at your earliest convenience.

WiscMail provides POP services to a complete set of popular email clients.

Web Mail

The availability of Web-based email through the My UW-Madison portal will give campus users access to email wherever they can access the Internet with a Web browser.

Performance

The WiscMail service is constantly looking for ways to increase performance. The system currently incorporates more than 20 servers who perform specialty operations such as virus detection, spam filtering, mail delivery and storage. Each WiscMail user receives 200 MB of email storage. Users needing more storage are able to buy additional space for a small annual fee.

Security

WiscMail uses SSL encryption for authentication, ensuring the protection of your password.

Virus scanning

All inbound and outbound mail is scanned for viruses by the WiscMail system. Any attachment found that is a virus is discarded and replaced with warning notice.

Your email address

Your primary email address follows the format:

NetID@wisc.edu (NetID = username)

Some users may also have alternate email addresses which follow one of the following formats:

NetID@wiscmail.wisc.edu
NetID@students.wisc.edu
NetID@facstaff.wisc.edu

Messages sent to an alternate address will go directly to your primary WiscMail account unless you have your mail forwarded to another address.

Message Filtering

All messages received by WiscMail are scanned and rated on the likelihood that they are spam. Junk Mail filters automatically move spam messages into a special folder on the server called "Junk Mail". All messages in the Junk Mail folder are automatically deleted after 15 days of age. The Junk Mail filter is enabled by default for all users, however, users may customize the service to best suit their needs.

LDAP

LDAP (Lightweight Directory Access Protocol) allows your e-mail program to automatically search UW's servers for the e-mail address of a recipient when you are composing an e-mail message. Follow the instructions to setup access to the LDAP server.