Yahoo is upgrading Yahoo Mail, the most popular web-based email program, to emulate desktop email clients (such as Outlook) and make it work faster than other web-based systems by foregoing the need to repeatedly refresh a browser to open email, move it into folders or take other actions that require reloading a page, reports Reuters. Instead, the upgraded offering works more like desktop email software, with features such as drag-and-drop and a message preview window.

Analysts said Yahoo has a good head start over other major email providers such as MSN Hotmail, AOL and Gmail in speeding up and enhancing web-based email. The new service will be offered initially to heavy email users in the U.S. and all Yahoo email users over the next several months.

The new version of Yahoo Mail is available on Internet Explorer browser for Windows and on Firefox for both Apple and Windows computers.