The Send/Recv button in your Windows Live Mail, Windows Mail or Outlook Express toolbar will not wear out, but your mouse — and your hand — may.

Fortunately, all this frantic clicking and checking for new mail is not necessary. Windows Live Mail, Windows Mail, and Outlook Express can do it all for you, regularly and automatically.

Why Set Automatic Mail Checking?

For example, if you are expecting important mail to arrive regularly aver the course of the day you might want to know if new mail has arrived every 10 minutes. Or perhaps you find constant alerts that email has arrived to be a distraction and only want to check it once or twice a day. In this case, you might want to only check it every 4 hours. You can set it to whatever interval you wish.

Check for New Mail Periodically and Automatically

To make Windows Live Mail, Windows Mail or Outlook Express check for new mail periodically and automatically and in the background and barely noticeably:

  • Select Tools > Options… from the menu.Go to the General tab.Make sure Check for new messages every __ minute(s) is checked.Decide on how often you want Windows Live Mail, Windows Mail or Outlook Express to look for new mail.Typical values are between 10 and 60 minutes. Less frequent interruptions are usually better. The maximum interval Windows Live Mail, Windows Mail, and Outlook Express will accept is 480 minutes, equal to 8 hours.Click OK.Select Tools > Accounts… from the menu.Highlight the email account you want to be checked for new mail automatically.Click Properties.Go to the General tab.Make sure Include this account when receiving mail or synchronizing is checked.In like manner, make sure this item is not checked for accounts you do not want to be checked automatically by Windows Live Mail, Windows Mail or Outlook Express.Click OK.Now click Close.

  • Typical values are between 10 and 60 minutes. Less frequent interruptions are usually better. The maximum interval Windows Live Mail, Windows Mail, and Outlook Express will accept is 480 minutes, equal to 8 hours.

  • In like manner, make sure this item is not checked for accounts you do not want to be checked automatically by Windows Live Mail, Windows Mail or Outlook Express.

Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day