Help for Cable customers

We recommend that all customers use Web mail as their main way of accessing e-mail. It's simple to use but also offers extra features such as chat and advanced search functionality, which are not available to users of e-mail software. To try Web mail now, click the Email button in the top-right corner of any virginmedia.com page.

1. Do I need to make any changes to access my mail from multiple computers or devices? Click here
2. Do I need to change any other settings in my e-mail software? Click here
3. What if the primary e-mail address of the mailbox isn't the one that I want to use? Click here
4. How do I turn off the spam filter? Click here
5. How do I get notification that I've received a new email? Click here
6. How can I set up another @ntlworld.com, @blueyonder.co.uk or @virgin.net mailbox? Click here
7. Why are messages still on the server even though I have deleted them with my e-mail software? Click here
8. Why is an e-mail put in the Bin folder of Web mail when I delete it from my e-mail software? Click here
9. Why does an e-mail stay in the 'All E-mail' folder when I delete it from my e-mail software? Click here
10. Can I use the name I use in my e-mail address with @virginmedia.com as well? Click here
11. Why when I go to add my address as a @virginmedia.com address does it tell me it's already taken? Click here
12. Why when I use POP3 e-mail programs on more than one PC don't I get the e-mail in my second one? Click here
13. Why are my messages still on the server after I have downloaded them with my e-mail software? Click here
14. Why are you filtering my spam - I want to receive all mail via POP3 and will decide for myself which are spam? Click here
15. If I create a new virginmedia.com address, what settings should I use? Click here
16. Can I use IMAP on @virginmedia.com addresses? Click here

Do I need to make any changes to access my mail from multiple computers or devices?

This depends on how you're accessing your e-mail from multiple computers or devices.

If you use POP (which most e-mail software is configured to use), or a combination of POP and Web mail, to access your e-mails you need to enable something called recent: mode on all the computers or devices (e.g. mobile phones) where you are using POP.

More information on recent: mode is available here.

If you use IMAP, or a combination of IMAP and Web mail, on all of the computers or devices then you should not need to change anything.

If you use a combination of POP and IMAP then we would recommend configuring all the computers or devices to use IMAP where possible. If your device does not support IMAP then configure POP for that device with recent: mode.

If you use Web mail on multiple devices or machines, you don't need to enable recent: mode or make any other settings changes.

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Do I need to change any settings in my e-mail software?

If you want to check or update your settings manually, the information you need can be found in the following articles:

E-mail settings for addresses ending in @ntlworld.com
E-mail settings for addresses ending in @blueyonder.co.uk
E-mail settings for addresses ending in @virginmedia.com
E-mail settings for addresses ending in @virgin.net

If you need help with your settings remember there are plenty of step-by-step guides in our knowledge base.

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What if the primary e-mail address of the mailbox isn't the one that I want to use?

Unfortunately, you can't change this right now as Google introduced a capability to change the primary mailbox address quite recently, and we are still looking into how best to implement this for our customers. If you use Web mail to send and receive e-mails, you can, however, ensure that the e-mail address you use to send and receive e-mails is set to your primary e-mail address by selecting the Accounts option in Web mail's Settings section and then selecting your primary e-mail address as the default Send mail as: address.

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How do I turn off the spam filter?

The Google platform has advanced spam filtering, which will pick up the vast majority of junk mail, but you will need to tune the filter for your mailbox to maximise its effectiveness (so that it knows what you consider to be spam and not spam).

You do this by accessing your mailbox via Web mail and clicking on the Report Spam button for mail in your Inbox that you consider to be junk. Similarly, you should also periodically check the Spam folder in Web mail and click on the Not Spam button for any e-mails you consider to be genuine.

If you already have a preferred anti-spam system configured on your e-mail client and want to use this instead of the advanced Google anti-spam system, you can do so by using the filter settings in Web mail.

The instructions on how to do this are here, and the filter you need is:

Has the words: is:spam
Do this: Never send it to Spam

When setting up this particular filter a warning message will be displayed. In this instance the warning message should be ignored, as it is not applicable for this filter.

Once configured, this filter setting will continue to deliver spam to the Inbox of your e-mail software, where it can then be handled by your existing anti-spam system.

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How do I get notification that I've received a new email?

If you use Google Chrome as your browser, then you can set up Virgin Media Mail to notify you when you get a new email message – even when you aren’t looking at Virgin Media Mail. By the way, Virgin Media Mail already notifies you when you get a new Chat message – this feature is switched on by default.

To set this up, check out our article Can I see when new mail arrives in Virgin Media Mail?

If you use a browser other than Google Chrome, you won’t get a notification. As long as the Virgin Media Mail window is open, you can check to see if there’s a number next to the Inbox. This number indicates how many unread messages you have.

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How can I set up another mailbox?

Check out our article How do I create a new email address? Even if you have existing mailboxes with the domain names @ntlworld.com, @blueyonder.co.uk or @virgin.net, any new mailboxes created by you will be @virginmedia.com mailboxes.

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Why are messages still on the server even though I have deleted them with my e-mail software?

Messages are now kept on the server by default so that they can also be accessed from Web mail. With the storage allocation of mailboxes having been increased from 30MB to 7GB, the previous default behaviour of deleting e-mails to avoid filling up mailboxes is no longer required.

If you wish you can change the default behaviour by following the steps here. However, please bear in mind that if you do this the only e-mails you will have access to in your Inbox in Web mail will be the ones that you have not downloaded to your computer or other device.

Alternatively, if you access your mailbox from multiple computers or devices and are using the recent: setting, this will keep or delete messages on the server, depending on what your e-mail program is set to do.

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Why is an e-mail put in the Bin folder of Web mail when I delete it from my e-mail software?

The Bin folder is the equivalent of a 'Deleted Items' or 'Trash' folder in e-mail programs. Deleted items are placed in the Bin folder to make them accessible from Web mail or from e-mail software using the IMAP method of accessing the mailbox. E-mails are automatically deleted from the Bin folder 30 days after having been placed there.

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Why does an e-mail stay in the 'All E-mail' folder when I delete it from my e-mail software?

This behaviour is specific to the use of IMAP within e-mail software. Further details on this behaviour can be found here.

To fully delete the message in IMAP, drag the message from the All Mail folder into the Bin folder, delete it (it will appear with a strikethrough) and then purge the folder using the purge option (e.g. 'Empty Deleted Items') of your e-mail software.

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Can I use the name I use in my e-mail address with @virginmedia.com as well?

We have 'reserved' any existing names used in e-mail addresses in the three 'old' e-mail domains so that they cannot be allocated to any other customer.

For example, if the name richard.branson existed in the @blueyonder.co.uk domain no new customer would be able to use the same name ending in @virginmedia.com, as it is allocated for Richard to use (should he decide to) when we offer customers this opportunity later this year.

If the name exists in more than one domain – e.g. if the name richard.branson also exists in the @virgin.net domain – both address owners will be given an equal opportunity to have the address allocated to them.

We are currently writing to customers with more information on this.

In the meantime if you try to get new names ending @virginmedia.com that are the same as your name in one of the 'old' e-mail domains in My Virgin Media, you will see a message saying the name has already been taken.

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Why when I go to add my address as a @virginmedia.com address does it tell me it's already taken?

All existing addresses have been reserved, and we will be sending an e-mail out to customers when we are ready to offer them their current address on the virginmedia.com domain. There could be up to three customers with the same address; the @virginmedia.com address will be given to the first customer to request it.

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Why when I use POP3 e-mail programs on more than one PC don't I get the e-mail in my second one?

Our new POP3 service will, by default, send messages to only one device. To change this add recent: to the beginning of the username (with no spaces) in your e-mail software, and ensure that your e-mail software is set to leave a copy of the mail on the server. The first time you check your e-mail you will get the last 30 days' worth of e-mail, but after that you will receive only new messages.

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Why are my messages still on the server after I have downloaded them with my e-mail software?

By default your e-mail will be kept on the server and the settings in your e-mail software will not be followed. To change this, log in to Web mail and follow the steps here.

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Why are you filtering my spam - I want to receive all mail via POP3 and will decide for myself which are spam.

Spam is automatically delivered to the Spam folder. The instructions on how to change this are here, and the filter you need is:

Has the words: is:spam
Do this: Never send it to Spam.

When setting up this particular filter a warning message will be displayed. In this instance the warning message should be ignored, as it is not applicable for this filter.

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If I create a new virginmedia.com address, what settings should I use?

The settings you need are available here.

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Can I use IMAP on @virginmedia.com addresses?

Yes, although IMAP is not enabled by default on new virginmedia.com accounts. To enable the setting, follow the steps here.

IMAP is enabled by default on addresses ending in @ntlworld.com, @blueyonder.co.uk and @virgin.net.

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