How to Disable IDLE for IMAP

Many email applications rely on a feature called IDLE (also referred to as IMAP push) to deliver new message notifications in real time. While this can be convenient, it may also cause connection errors or failures that place unnecessary load on your server. These continuous connections can consume available processes and significantly increase CPU usage.
If your email client is using IMAP with the IDLE feature and you're running into Internal Server Errors due to too many active processes—or noticing high CPU usage—Bluehost recommends disabling the IDLE function in your email client to improve overall server performance and stability.

Microsoft Outlook 2010

1. Select the Send/Receive tab.
2. From Send/Receive Groups, select Define Send/Receive Groups.
3. For each Group, uncheck Schedule an automatic send/receive every x minutes.
4. Click the Close button.

Microsoft Outlook 2007

1. From the menu, select Tools and navigate to Send/Receive.
2. Click on Send/Receive Settings.
3. Select Define Send/Receive Groups.
4. For each Group, uncheck Schedule an automatic send/receive every x minutes.
5. Click the Close button.

Mozilla Thunderbird

1. Go to Tools and navigate to Account Settings.
2. Select Server Settings and click Advanced.
3. Change the Maximum number of server connections to cache to 0 (Default is 5).

Android K9 Mail

1. Select your account.
2. Go to Menu, then click More.
3. Navigate to Account Settings and click on Fetching Mail.
4. Change the Folder poll check frequency to Never.

Android Mail

1. Select your IMAP account.
2. Go to Menu, then click More.
3. Choose Settings and click on Send & Receive.
4. Choose the Set download frequency.
5. Modify Peak times and Off-peak times to Manual.

Outlook for Mac

1. Click Outlook.
2. Select Preferences and then Accounts.
3. Choose the email account, and click on Advanced.
4. Ensure that Use IMAP IDLE (if the server supports it) is unchecked.
5. Click OK.

MacMail

1. Click on Preferences from the Mail dropdown.
2. Navigate to Accounts and select the IMAP account.
3. Click on the Advanced tab and disable the Use Idle setting.
   If you can't locate the option, please reach out to Apple Support.

Apple iPad

1. Go to the Settings and select Mail, Contacts, Calendar.
2. Under Accounts, click Fetch New Data.
3. Turn ON Push and set it to Manual.

Summary

By disabling the IDLE feature in your email client, you can help reduce unnecessary server connections, lower CPU usage, and minimize the risk of Internal Server Errors. Following the steps above for your specific email application can improve overall performance and ensure a more stable email experience.