This tutorial will show how to sync your Sent mail so that emails sent on one device reflect in the Sent items of any other devices using that same email account.


Managing your sent mails can be much easier if you synchronize them into one folder. To do this:
  1. Set up IMAP for mail on your server.
  2. Ensure that you have a Sent folder on the server:
    • Check in Webmail if a Sent items folder exists.
      • If not, click on the settings/cog icon, select Folders, then tick Sent to subscribe.
      • If there is no Sent folder, then send a quick test email from Webmail. This will generate a Sent items folder which Outlook and Mac mail etc. can reference.
  3. Configure the mail applications to recognize the Sent folder so that all your sent mails are directed to that folder.


Usually, the configuration happens automatically when you set up your email address in the mail programme, creating a folder labelled Sent Messages. In some cases, however, the email sync programme may default to saving the sent mails locally on your computer instead of saving them on the server. In these cases, you’ll have to set up the folder manually in order to sync the sent mails.  The main advantage of synchronizing your emails on the server is that it allows you to access the mails on any device.


Manual set up should be a final resort and should be done if the auto sync fails.
  • Outlook 2007 and 2010 have account settings that will let you choose whether or not to save sent mail in a folder called Sent Mail
  • Outlook 2013 automatically saves your sent mails in the Sent Items file
  • For Gmail users, there’s a Gmail IMAP that automatically saves the sent mails to Sent file.


When the server tries to determine the folder and fails, here are a few guidelines to help you sync the sent mails manually in Outlook.