HowTo: Retrieve Email from a POP3 Server using the Command Line

The POP3 (Post Office Protocol Version 3) is an application-layer Internet standard protocol used by local Email clients to retrieve Email from a remote server over a TCP/IP connection.

This tutorial shows how to connect to POP3 mail server and manage incoming Email using the ‘telnet’ command.

Step 1: Open a connection from your computer to a POP3 mail server

$ telnet pop.domain.ext 110
Trying ???.???.???.???...
Connected to pop.domain.ext.
Escape character is '^]'.
+OK ready
  • pop.domain.ext – Your mail server;
  • 110 – Default port for POP3.

Step 2: Type your Login

> USER username
+OK Password required for UserName.

Step 3: Type your Password

> PASS password
+OK username has ? visible messages (? hidden) in ????? octets.

POP3 Commands with Description

Here are the basic POP3 commands, that you can use to manage your incoming Email.

Command Description Example
USER [username] 1st login command USER Stan
+OK Please enter a password
PASS [password] 2nd login command PASS SeCrEt
+OK valid logon
QUIT Logs out and saves any changes QUIT
+OK Bye-bye.
STAT Returns total number of messages and total size STAT
+OK 2 320
LIST Lists all messages LIST
+OK 2 messages (320 octets)
1 120
2 200

LIST 2
+OK 2 200
RETR [message] Retrieves the whole message RETR 1
+OK 120 octets follow.
***
DELE [message] Deletes the specified message DELE 2
+OK message deleted
NOOP The POP3 server does nothing, it merely replies with a positive response. NOOP
+OK
RSET Undelete the message if any marked for deletion RSET
+OK maildrop has 2 messages (320 octets)
TOP [message] [number] Returns the headers and number of lines from the message TOP 1 10
+OK
***
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3 Replies to “HowTo: Retrieve Email from a POP3 Server using the Command Line”

  1. Oh man, I haven’t done this in 20 years. I would actually be surprised to see telnet actually installed on a server these days.

    1. Use netcat, then

  2. For those TLS/SSL-secured POP3-Servers, you could use
    openssl s_client -connect pop.example.net:995
    And then continue with the commands above. I had fun with the exercise, thanks. 🙂

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