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Best email software for Windows?

ReedRichards
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Best email software for Windows?

For some reason it's harder to do email on a Windows computer than it was 10 or even 20 years ago.  The Mail app. on Windows 10 has very few features, you have to rent Outlook as part of Office 365 and Microsoft is keen to get shot of Windows Live Mail.  So that leaves Thunderbird and I don't really know what else.  I know Thunderbird is popular here but are there any alternatives?

I'm particularity keen to find any software that will let me transfer contacts from Windows Live Mail and let me retain the defined Mail Lists/ Distribution Groups.  

   

18 REPLIES 18
Anonymous
Not applicable

Re: Best email software for Windows?

I can't offer any alternatives as I use Thunderbird on my Mac and to me is the best email client (other than Pine) available, so I don't think you can go wrong with it to be honest. But others will no doubt have their own ideas.

MKSlinky
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Re: Best email software for Windows?

@ReedRichards

I had the same problem and tried a few different ones before settling with Windows 10 Mail which I quite like.

On my Windows 7 laptop however I'm using Mailbird (free version) which is restricted to one mail account however the paid for version allows multiple accounts. Mailbird looks quite similar to W10 Mail however has many more features.

I'd recommend trying the free trial at least and see what you think, as for doing what you want it to I can't say for sure.

Mailbird

If you want something a little more feature rich try eMClient, I tried this one as well but it was more than I needed.

eMClient

Browni
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Re: Best email software for Windows?

You don't have to rent Outlook, Office can still be purchased as stand alone software (possibly Outlook as well?)
Gel
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Re: Best email software for Windows?

Have you considered outlook.com?
https://outlook.live.com/owa/?authRedirect=true
I have Thunderbird on wife's PC and works fine, though I believe it's no longer supported.

 

If you can export your Live Mail contacts into a csv file, T'Bird can then import.

For messages export in eml format.

 

If your employer is large M'Soft Corporate user see if you qualify for cheap legitimate OFFICE here:

https://www.microsofthup.com/hupuk/home.aspx?country_id=GB

I happened to stumble across benefit after 14 years with an employer, as HR hadn't communicated

this great benefit.

MartyPop
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Re: Best email software for Windows?

I've used Opera Mail ever since it was first released as a standalone mail/news client:

http://www.opera.com/computer/mail

 

ReedRichards
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Re: Best email software for Windows?

Thank you for the suggestions but I'm still stuck on Distribution Lists.  There are about 500 Contacts emails and about 10 different groups of these emails forming Distribution Lists.  The largest Distribution List holds 50 emails.  I really don't want to have to reconstitute each Group but your typical exported .csv file does not contain information on Group names or Group membership.

@Browni, I know you can buy versions of Office with Outlook but only at huge expense.

 

 

Browni
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Re: Best email software for Windows?

Why did you say "you have to rent Outlook as part of Office 365" then?
ReedRichards
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Re: Best email software for Windows?

Off topic but:

 I exaggerated; you don't have to rent Office to get Outlook but Microsoft tries hard to push you in that direction.

In the old days, even the cheap Home and Student version of Office included Outlook.  Nowadays Microsoft have skewed the economics to steer you towards their rental version of Office.  The cheapest new version of Office you can get that includes Outlook is 'Home and Business 2016' which costs £230 for one computer.  The cheapest rental version of Office that includes Outlook is 'Office 365 Personal' which costs £60 per year.  And for another £20 p.a. you can have a version that covers 5 devices.  And with either rental version you get 1 TB of cloud storage thrown in.

   

Browni
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Re: Best email software for Windows?

Office 365 Home cost me £49.98 last year and if I still had my own limited company it would have been a business expense Smiley
Oldjim
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Re: Best email software for Windows?

of course you could take a chance and get one of these

Microsoft Office 2016 Professional Plus

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01DYRABLI/ref=s9_acsd_top_hd_bw_b2W6g_c_x_1_w?pf_rd_m=A3P5ROKL5...

bmc
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Re: Best email software for Windows?

Have you looked at Pegasus?

http://www.pmail.com/

 

Brian

Mustrum
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Re: Best email software for Windows?

A mate asked me to sort out his mail on his laptop, and had a look at Techradar for the best free email client, and installed eM Client, it seemed to work fine.

ReedRichards
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Re: Best email software for Windows?

I've tried 'EM Client'.  It promised it could import everything from Windows Live Mail but then crashed about half way through; seems to be a known bug.  I cannot find a way to show Distribution Groups separately from the mass of email addresses and when I try to register for support on their website a windows pops up and hangs.  Not an auspicious start.

7up
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Re: Best email software for Windows?

Best email client for windows is your web browser used with a webmail.

Accessible from any connected device, no need to worry about backups, virus scanning comes as standard with the big players, storage is usually huge, webmail isolates you from virus threats that desktop clients may accidentally execute...

I personally (for my sins) use yahoo but gmail does have better settings, filters etc that yahoo can't be bothered to offer.

I need a new signature... i'm bored of the old one!