Mindspring Email: All You Need to Know About It

Mindspring Email: All You Need to Know About It
Mindspring Email: All You Need to Know About It

Do you have a Mindspring email account? Mindspring email accounts are now administered by EarthLink, as EarthLink merged with Mindspring in 2000. If you have an old Mindspring email, though, you can still use it and log in to it via EarthLink Webmail. In this guide, you will learn all you need to know about Mindspring email. 

Confirm Service Status and Account Ownership

First, confirm that you actually still have a Mindspring account. If you stopped using EarthLink’s internet services, then your Mindspring account will no longer be active. 

EarthLink only retained Mindspring accounts for Mindspring customers who later continued paying for EarthLink’s services. However, if you switched to a different internet service provider, your Mindspring email would have been cancelled. 

Furthermore, even if you are still using EarthLink, the email address will have gone inactive (but not deleted) if you did not use it or log on to it for 90 days. This is called a stale account. When your account is in stale mode, new emails will not be received, but old emails will continue to be retained in your inbox. By accessing Webmail or sending an email, you can reactivate your account and continue receiving new emails. 

To avoid your email going stale, which could prevent important emails from reaching you, set up a vacation message by going to Preferences > Sending & Replying > Vacation Message. Or, set up email forwarding by following this guide

Access Webmail and Your Account Dashboard

Access Webmail and Your Account Dashboard
Access Webmail and Your Account Dashboard

To log in to your Mindspring email account, you will need to access it via EarthLink Webmail. Go to webmail1.earthlink.net/login and use your Mindspring email address and password to sign in. Use the same Mindspring email address as you always did; even though it’s managed by EarthLink, the email address itself would not have changed and will still contain the Mindspring domain. 

Reset Passwords and Secure the Mailbox

Reset Passwords and Secure the Mailbox
Reset Passwords and Secure the Mailbox

If it’s been a while since you logged in and don’t remember the password, click on “Forgot Your Password?” on the login page or visit portal.earthlink.net/login/forgot-password/email

There, enter either your email address or user ID, and you will receive a password reset link. 

If you are already logged in, navigate to Account Security > Change Password from the navigation menu. 

To keep your mailbox secure, choose a password that is secure. It must have at least 8 characters and include a combination of at least 3 of the following: uppercase letters, lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols. 

Configure Desktop and Mobile Email Apps With IMAP/SMTP

Configure Desktop and Mobile Email Apps With IMAP/SMTP
Configure Desktop and Mobile Email Apps With IMAP/SMTP

Outlook is a popular desktop client that you can use with Mindspring. 

If you don’t want to use EarthLink’s Webmail interface, you can instead set Mindspring up with a desktop or mobile email client. This could be Apple Mail, Mailspring, Outlook, or your phone’s built-in mail app. 

You will need to configure the SMTP and IMAP settings to send and receive mail from and to your Mindspring account. IMAP is the protocol used for receiving mail, while SMTP is used for sending mail. You will need to configure both. 

Here are the IMAP settings for Mindspring: 

  • Incoming Server: imap.earthlink.net
  • Incoming Port Number: 993
  • Incoming Security Setting: SSL/TLS
  • Authentication is required: Use your full email address and password.

Here are the SMTP settings for Mindspring: 

  • Outgoing Server: smtpauth.earthlink.net
  • Outgoing Port Number: 587
  • Outgoing Security Setting: STARTTLS
  • Authentication is required: Use your full email address and password.

For both IMAP and SMTP, authentication is required. If it asks you for your username and password, enter your full email address as the username and your login password as the password. 

You can choose to use POP3 instead of IMAP. POP3 is an older protocol for incoming mail but isn’t recommended. It downloads emails to your device, and the emails could then be deleted from the server. IMAP, on the other hand, syncs from the server to your device and can be used with multiple devices. 

Here are the POP3 settings: 

  • POP Incoming Server: pop.mindspring.com
  • Incoming Port Number: 995
  • Incoming Security Setting: SSL/TLS
  • Authentication is required: Use your full email address and password.

If you use POP3, you will still need the above SMTP settings to send outgoing mail. 

Manage Spam and Mailbox Storage

You can configure your spam settings in EarthLink Webmail by configuring spamBlocker in Webmail. 

Go to Preferences > General Settings > spamBlocker. 

You have several options to choose from: 

  • Suspect Email Blocking: All emails from people not saved in your address book will be sent to a Suspect Email folder. 
  • Known Spam Blocking: Emails from people not in your address book will still be sent to your inbox unless EarthLink has detected the email to be spam, in which case it could be deleted immediately or sent to a spam folder, depending on your configuration. 
  • Off: If spamBlocker is turned off, EarthLink will not filter any spam emails at all. 

If spamBlocker is enabled, you might want to check the “Yes” option under “Spam from known addresses (save to my inbox).” This means that even if an email is marked as spam, it will reach your inbox if it is sent from someone in your address book. This could happen if someone you know forwards an email that contains a promotion, for example. 

EarthLink, by default, only provides 100 MB of storage per email inbox. However, you can add more storage to your account if you need more. Sign in to portal.earthlink.net using your Mindspring email address and then navigate to My Plan Details > Other Available Services > More Email Space. There, you can purchase 1 GB, 2 GB, or 3 GB of extra email storage. 

Troubleshoot Common Sign-In and Send/Receive Errors

If you are experiencing issues with logging into EarthLink Webmail, try the following fixes: 

  • Make sure your email address is correct. 
  • Make sure your password is correct. Reset your password if you forgot it. 
  • Double check if you still have a Mindspring account. If you canceled your internet service, the email would have been cancelled as well. 
  • Try signing in on a different browser. 
  • Check your internet connection. 

If you can’t send or receive Mindspring emails when using a third-party client, make sure the IMAP and SMTP details are set up correctly. Make sure you have set up both IMAP and SMTP (or both POP3 and SMTP) and have set them up exactly as outlined above. If you are using POP3 and are having difficulty receiving emails, switch to IMAP instead. 

Conclusion

Although Mindspring merged with EarthLink over 25 years ago, some people still have a Mindspring email address, especially old-time internet users. The good news is that if your Mindspring account is still active, you can always log in and use it via EarthLink’s Web Mail or by setting it up with a third-party email client. 

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Benjamin Levin

Ben is a gamer addict and hardware enthusiast who loves taking apart and building PCs. He has over half a decade of writing experience and is HubSpot certified in content marketing and SEO. He is currently pursuing a bachelor's in computer science with various certifications in the information technology field, particularly relating to hardware. He's excited to share his passion for PC hardware with you and help you create your gaming setup, whether it's your first rig or 100th. Ben has traversed the globe and speaks several languages. His passions include traveling, martial arts, going to the gym, buying random PC stuff he doesn't need, and rewatching Street Fighter and Dragon's Dogma.

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