Frequently Asked Questions

Webmail.co.za has now launched a new version. Here are some important highlights:

• Subscription needed: Webmail is switching from relying on ads to support the cost of operations to a subscription-based business model. This allows us to operate a more stable, modern, and better email service.
• Modernized webmail: The new webmail is available for desktop and mobile devices
• Ad-free websites: We have now removed all ads from the website and webmail
• 10 GB storage: No more worrying about your mailbox filling up!
• Private account: We do not use data from your messages for advertising purposes
• IMAP/SMTP: Sync your emails across your computer, phone, and tablet using third-party apps
• Quick and professional customer support: All the help and guidance you need is available via e-mail and our online support form
• Spam filter and virus protection: Our advanced systems minimize unwanted emails

You can still reactivate your email account if it has been closed. To reactivate your email account, follow the link below to activate a subscription. Please note that it can take up to 12 hours before the email account is available. Emails sent to you between the deactivation and the reactivation will not become available.

Click here to reactivate your email account now!

The subscription price is R79 per month, R474 per half-year, or R948 per year (including VAT).

Please note that we do not accept direct bank transfers or SMS payments. Therefore, you need to use a debit/credit card to activate your subscription.

This happens because your browser “remembered” your password. You will need to re-enter your password to log in.

If you have forgotten your password, use one of these instructions (depending on your browser):

• Chrome (Google)
• Microsoft Edge
• Firefox
• Safari / Mac

If the above information doesn’t help, you can click on “I forgot my password” when logging in.

To reset your password, click on “I forgot my password” on the webmail login page.

If that doesn’t work, contact Support.

From Webmail.co.za on PC/MAC:

• To delete a message, you should open it and click on the trash can icon on the menu above the message.
• To delete one or multiple messages without opening them, hold down the Ctrl key and select the emails you want to delete. Then press the trash can icon or the Del key on your keyboard
• You can also select multiple emails in a row by holding down the Shift key

From Webmail.co.za on mobile phone/tablet:

• You can save emails by swiping (i.e., swiping the messages) to the right of the inbox.
• Another option is to change the messages to delete when you swap to the right. To do this, click on the three dots on the top right and then select “Swipe Settings”.
• Otherwise, you’ll need to open the message before deleting it by clicking the Trash icon

If you have decided to close your account, you need to take a few crucial steps.

Firstly, we recommend you send a new email address to all your contacts, so they know how to reach you in the future.

Secondly, you should make sure that you update your email address on all public/private registers and websites (e.g., your online banking, social media, etc.), as you will no longer have access to emails sent to your old webmail.co.za address.

After 6 December 2022, it is impossible to transfer your old emails to the new service.

If you have any questions about this, please contact us – we will be happy to help!

Your email account has been closed if you did not have an active subscription on the 6th of December, 2022. After 90 days, all the contents of your inbox will be permanently deleted.

Unfortunately, the domain gmail.co.za is not owned by us, and we cannot offer this domain for email addresses in the future.

If your email address ends with @gmail.co.za, unfortunately, you cannot use your email address after December 6th, 2022. We sincerely apologize to the affected users for this change. More information about what steps you should take was sent to all affected users by email.

Please note that all other users of webmail.co.za, including any other domains, are unaffected by this.

It is not free of charge to run the Webmail.co.za email service, including the cost of hosting, technical support, customer support, and other costs of running a company.

Webmail.co.za used to be financed by advertisements. As income from ads has declined and also has an outlook to keep declining, we have chosen to switch the business model to a subscription model where all users pay a monthly amount for the service.

With a subscription model in place, we will have a more stable income to pay for technical resources, hosting, customer support, and other expenses. We believe this is a more viable business model for the future, allowing us to make the necessary investments to keep up with the required functionality, customer experience, and IT security.

This also means that Webmail.co.za is here to stay and not at risk of being closed down (like many other email services have been in recent years).

We understand that everyone will not be favorable to this change, and we apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. Still, to offer a high-quality service for the future, we depend on having a financially sustainable business model.

You can use the following settings to send and receive messages using your email client/app:

Incoming messages:

• Hostname: mail.webmail.co.za
• Username: youremail@webmail.co.za
• Password: The same as before. The one you use to log in to the webmail
• Security: Port 993 with SSL/TLS (or port 143 with STARTTLS)

Outgoing messages:

• Hostname: smtp.webmail.co.za
• Username: youremail@webmail.co.za
• Password: The same as before. The one you use to log in to the webmail.
• Security: Port 465 with SSL/TLS (or port 587 with STARTTLS)

Extra:

• Note for iPhone users: remember to update your password in the IMAP- and SMTP-settings.
• Server requires authentication with username and password: Yes

We recommend using IMAP. It’s often easier to reload an account if the email is not working (make sure you back up your locally stored emails).

You can also use POP3 instead of IMAP, although this is not recommended. POP3 does not synchronize your emails between devices.

• Hostname: mail.webmail.co.za
• Username: youremail@webmail.co.za
• Password: The same as before. The one you use to log in to the webmail.
• Security: Port 995 with SSL/TLS (or port 110 with STARTTLS)

We automatically delete e-mails that are older than 30 days from the Trash and Junk folders to manage system storage efficiently.

This time frame of 30 days is standard and cannot be customized or disabled.

To keep important e-mails, please regularly review your Trash and Junk folders. Move any essential messages to your Inbox or another folder to avoid automatic deletion.

Once e-mails are auto-deleted after 30 days, they cannot be recovered.

What is the difference between IMAP and POP3?

IMAP stores emails on the server, allowing access from multiple devices and syncing changes across them. POP3 downloads emails to one device and removes them from the server, with no syncing.

Why is IMAP better than POP3?

IMAP keeps emails safe on the server and accessible from any device. POP3 risks losing emails permanently if they’re deleted or the device is damaged.

Can deleted emails be recovered with POP3?

No, once an email is deleted using POP3, it’s gone permanently. Customer service cannot restore it.

Who should use IMAP?

Anyone who uses multiple devices to access email or wants a safer, more reliable setup.

Why should I avoid POP3?

POP3 doesn’t sync emails and makes it harder to access emails on different devices. There’s also a higher risk of losing important messages.

What’s the best choice for most users?

IMAP is the best choice for its safety, synchronization, and multi-device convenience.

We require password to meet certain requirements to be considered as strong enough. These are:

• A minimum of 10 characters;
• A minimum of 1 lowercase alpha character;
• A minimum of 1 uppercase alpha character;
• A minimum of 1 numeric character;
• The password must not be commonly known.

You might have seen a warning in the webmail regarding weak passwords. This warning shows up when your password does not meet the requirements described above. If so, please change your password.

The warning message can't be disabled.

Yes.

If you or your household has three or more email accounts, we offer a discount program.

If you have three or four email accounts, you only need to pay for two accounts. You only need to pay for three accounts if you have five or six email accounts.

To use this discount option, please contact our Support team.

You are free to cancel your subscription at any time.

When you cancel your subscription, you will keep your email account throughout the pre-paid period, after which your email account will be closed.

After the initial six months, you can adjust the frequency of renewals to monthly or yearly, should you prefer that.

To cancel or change your subscription, sign in to your webmail and click “My account.” Please note that changing the payment frequency will be enabled in January 2023.

Unfortunately, our current system only offers payment by card, so you must register a debit/credit card to activate your subscription.

To make changes to your account or subscription, log in to your account and click “My Account“.

We have a payment solution from Stripe, one of the world’s largest payment method providers.

Your payment card details are only stored on their servers using a secure connection.

As with all online and physical payments you make, you should decide whether to trust the seller to whom you provide the card details; it’s always a good idea to be critical.

Here are some excellent precautions:

• Use a credit card instead of a debit card
• Keep in mind that the card issuer is responsible for fraud or misuse of your card
• Consider using one card for online payments and another for daily purchases. That way, you can still go to the grocery store if you’ve been exposed to misuse of your “online card”

Please contact us if you have more questions about payment and security.

Yes.

As of January 2023, you will be able to change the payment frequency of your subscription.

The new subscription period (monthly or yearly) will be applied to the first renewal after the initial six months.

If you do not make any changes, your subscription will automatically be renewed for another six months.

To change your subscription, sign in to your webmail and click on “My account”.

When you activated your subscription, the renewal date was automatically set six months from when you started your subscription.

After December 6th, we will adjust all renewal dates so that renewal happens on May 6th, 2023.

We apologize for this inconvenience and assure you that all renewal dates will be corrected by the end of December.

Please refer to our Terms of Service for additional information.

Webmail.co.za is owned by a Norwegian company that owns and operates email services in several countries:

Inbox.com AS
Business ID (Norway): 920 243 347 Oslo, Norway