---
title: "Connect a mailbox with IMAP"
description: "Connect a support mailbox at Zoho, Fastmail, iCloud, Yahoo, GoDaddy, or any other host with IMAP and an app password, and send replies by SMTP."
url: "https://support.outpostplatform.com/service-desk/connect-imap/"
product: "depot"
type: "how-to"
status: "draft"
ai_summary: "IMAP with a password works with almost any mail host and is the only method on Remote Outpost. Most hosts need an app password: Zoho, Fastmail, iCloud, Yahoo, and personal Gmail each create one in account security. Replies go out through the mailbox's SMTP server or Settings > Email. Microsoft turns SMTP AUTH off by default at the end of December 2026."
availability:
  plans: ["enterprise", "msp"]
  permission: "mailbox:manage"
  preview: false
source: "https://gitlab.com/outpostplatform/docs/-/edit/main/src/content/docs/service-desk/connect-imap.md"
license: "CC BY 4.0"
---

# Connect a mailbox with IMAP

Connect a support mailbox with IMAP when it is not in Microsoft 365 or Google
Workspace, or when your Outpost is [Remote Outpost](/remote-outpost/). IMAP
works with almost any mail host. When you finish, Outpost collects the
mailbox's mail into tickets, and replies go out through the mailbox's SMTP
server or your outgoing email provider. For how email becomes tickets, see
[Email to ticket](/service-desk/mailboxes/).

## Before you begin

- You need `mailbox:manage` in the console.
- Have the mailbox's IMAP server name and port. The wizard fills in the server
  for the hosts it recognizes.
- Create an app password for the mailbox if the host needs one. Most do. See
  [App passwords by host](#app-passwords-by-host).
- To send replies from the mailbox itself, have its SMTP server name and port.

Outpost marks each collected message as read. Where the server supports it,
Outpost also moves the message to a folder named `Outpost/Processed`, so the
inbox shows only mail that has not been collected yet.

## App passwords by host

Many hosts refuse an account's normal password over IMAP, especially when
two-factor sign-in is on. Create an app password and enter it in place of the
normal one.

| Host | IMAP server | What to do |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Zoho Mail | `imap.zoho.com` | Create an app password under Zoho's **Security** settings. Turn on IMAP access in Zoho Mail settings. See [Zoho app passwords](https://accounts.zoho.com/home#security/app_password). |
| Fastmail | `imap.fastmail.com` | Create an app password with IMAP and SMTP access. See [Fastmail app passwords](https://www.fastmail.help/hc/en-us/articles/360058752854-App-passwords). |
| iCloud Mail | `imap.mail.me.com` | Create an app-specific password from your Apple Account. The username is the full iCloud email address. See [Apple app-specific passwords](https://support.apple.com/en-us/102654). |
| Yahoo Mail | `imap.mail.yahoo.com` | Create an app password in **Account security**. See [Yahoo app passwords](https://help.yahoo.com/kb/SLN15241.html). |
| GoDaddy Professional Email | `imap.secureserver.net`, port 993 | If your GoDaddy mailbox is Microsoft 365, connect it as [Microsoft 365](/service-desk/connect-microsoft-365/) instead. |
| Personal Gmail | `imap.gmail.com` | Turn on 2-Step Verification, then create an app password. See [Google app passwords](https://myaccount.google.com/apppasswords). For a Google Workspace address, use [domain-wide delegation](/service-desk/connect-google-workspace/) instead. |
| Any other host | Ask your host | Ask for the IMAP server name and port (usually 993 with TLS), and whether the account needs an app password. |

Proton Mail does not offer IMAP directly. It needs Proton Mail Bridge running
on a computer that stays on. Forwarding is usually simpler. See
[Forward email to Outpost](/service-desk/forward-email/#proton-mail-and-other-hosts).

## Connect the mailbox

1. In the console, go to **Settings** > **Mailboxes** and select **Add
   mailbox**.
2. In **Support address**, enter the address and select **Continue**.
3. Choose **IMAP with a password** and select **Continue**.
4. Check **IMAP server** and **Port**, and leave **Use TLS** selected.
5. In **Username**, enter the mailbox's sign-in name, usually the full
   address.
6. In **Password or app password**, enter the app password.
7. Choose how replies go out:

   **To send from the mailbox itself**, select **Send replies through this
   mailbox's SMTP server**. Enter the **SMTP server** and **Port**. Leave
   **SMTP password** empty to use the IMAP password.

   **To send through your outgoing email provider**, leave it cleared. Replies
   then go out through **Settings** > **Email** with the support address as
   Reply-To. See [Configure outgoing email](/depot/email/).

8. Select **Save and test**. See [Verify](#verify).
9. In the **Routing** step, choose where new tickets land, then select **Save
   mailbox**.

Outpost stores the passwords encrypted and never shows them again. When you
change the IMAP or SMTP server later, Outpost asks for the password again, so
a saved password is never sent to a server it was not entered for.

## Microsoft 365 and SMTP AUTH {#microsoft-365-and-smtp-auth}

Microsoft turns off SMTP AUTH, sending with a username and password, by
default at the end of December 2026. A Microsoft 365 mailbox connected with
IMAP and SMTP then stops sending replies, and its test fails with **The server
refused SMTP sign-in.** Connect Microsoft 365 mailboxes with the
[app connection](/service-desk/connect-microsoft-365/) instead.

## Verify

The test runs **Connect**, **Sign in**, **Send a test message**, and
**Receive the test message**, in order, and stops at the first that fails.
With no SMTP server, **Send a test message** shows **Skipped. This mailbox
only receives mail; replies go out through Settings > Email.** The test
message is never turned into a ticket.

In **Settings** > **Mailboxes**, the mailbox shows **Connected**. Send a
message to the support address from another account. A ticket appears in the
mailbox's queue.

## If something goes wrong

| Message | Cause | Fix |
| --- | --- | --- |
| **This account needs an app password, not its normal password.** | The host refuses the normal password over IMAP. | Create an app password and enter it. |
| **The mail server refused the username or password.** | The username or password is wrong, or IMAP access is off at the host. | Check both, and turn on IMAP access in the host's settings. |
| **Could not reach the mail server.** | The server name or port is wrong, or a firewall blocks the connection from your Outpost. | Check the server and port, and that your Outpost can reach the server. |
| **The secure connection to the mail server failed.** | The port and the TLS setting do not match. | Use port 993 with **Use TLS** selected, or the port your host gives for TLS. |

For a mailbox that stops working later, see
[Troubleshoot a support mailbox](/service-desk/mailbox-health/).

## Next steps

- [Email threading](/service-desk/email-threading/)
- [Suspended mail](/service-desk/suspended-mail/)