Email (electronic mail) is a widely used method of exchanging digital messages between people over the internet. It allows individuals and businesses to send and receive messages, documents, and other files quickly and efficiently. Here’s how email works:

1. Sending an Email: When you send an email, several steps are involved in delivering the message from your computer or device to the recipient’s inbox:

1. Compose the Email: You start by composing your email using an email client or webmail service. An email client is a software application installed on your device (such as Microsoft Outlook, Apple Mail, or Thunderbird), while webmail services allow you to access your email through a web browser (e.g., Gmail, Yahoo Mail, Outlook.com).
2. Address the Email: You specify the recipient’s email address in the “To” field. You can also include recipients in the “Cc” (carbon copy) and “Bcc” (blind carbon copy) fields to send copies of the email to additional recipients.
3. Subject and Body: You add a subject line and write the body of the email, which contains the content you want to convey to the recipient.
4. Click “Send”: Once you have composed your email, you click the “Send” button or equivalent to initiate the sending process.

2. Email Servers: After you click “Send,” the email message is sent from your device to an outgoing email server (SMTP server). The SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) server is responsible for processing outgoing emails.

3. Routing and Delivery: The SMTP server determines the recipient’s domain from the email address (everything after the “@” symbol) and then forwards the email to the recipient’s email server (incoming mail server) via the internet. The recipient’s email server is responsible for storing and managing incoming emails for that domain.

4. Storing the Email: Once the email reaches the recipient’s email server, it is stored in the recipient’s mailbox until the recipient accesses it. The email server stores emails until they are retrieved by the recipient’s email client or webmail interface.

5. Accessing the Email: When the recipient wants to check their email, they use their email client or webmail service to connect to their email server (IMAP or POP3 server) and retrieve their messages. IMAP (Internet Message Access Protocol) and POP3 (Post Office Protocol version 3) are two common protocols used to access email from a server.

6. Reading the Email: The recipient can then read the email, reply to it, forward it, or take any other actions they wish.

7. Deletion and Archiving: After the recipient has read the email, they can choose to delete it or keep it in their email client for future reference. Some email clients also offer the option to archive emails for better organization.

This process repeats every time someone sends an email, ensuring that messages are delivered efficiently and reliably across the internet. Email has become an essential communication tool, facilitating communication and collaboration between individuals and businesses worldwide.