Outlook has been one of the world's most popular email programs for years. Many people use it out of habit, as it comes bundled with Windows, or because they also use it at work. However, as a hosting provider valuing privacy and transparency, we strongly discourage using Outlook (especially its latest versions) for mailboxes hosted with WebOké.
Why? Microsoft is always reading along
The latest versions of Outlook (the so-called "New Outlook" for Windows and Mac) work very differently from traditional email programs. What many people don't realize:
Your email traffic doesn't flow directly between your computer and our hosting servers, but always passes through Microsoft's cloud servers.
How does this work exactly?
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You enter your email address and password into Outlook.
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Outlook sends these details to Microsoft's cloud servers.
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Microsoft stores your email address and password, then synchronizes all your emails (including sent messages and attachments) onto its own servers.
Thus, your computer doesn't connect directly to your mail provider's server, but solely to Microsoft. The emails you see in your inbox are fetched from Microsoft's servers, not directly from our mail server. Microsoft is therefore the mandatory and hidden "middleman."
Consequence: Microsoft stores your emails (even if you don't want this) All your incoming and outgoing emails are stored in Microsoft's cloud. Even after deleting your mailbox from Outlook, your emails and credentials remain stored on Microsoft's servers.
You no longer know who has access to your data, how long it is stored, or how it is used.
You can still manage your mailbox and change your password in DirectAdmin, but anything synchronized via Outlook remains stored on Microsoft's servers.
Why is this concerning to us?
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Loss of control over your own data.
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Privacy isn't guaranteed: Microsoft is an American company subject to U.S. laws.
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Intentional ignorance: Microsoft deliberately obscures this method.
How IMAP normally works With a normal email client (like Thunderbird or Apple Mail):
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Direct connection to your hosting provider's server.
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Emails remain only on your computer and WebOké's servers.
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You always maintain control via DirectAdmin.
Our advice: stop using Outlook Fortunately, there are good, secure alternatives. Our favorite is Thunderbird:
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Open source, ad-free, no external data storage.
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Automatic setup for mailboxes hosted with us.
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Free and compatible with Windows, Mac, and Linux.
Other alternatives: Apple Mail (without iCloud sync), eM Client, BlueMail.
Learn more:
