---
title: "Add a second mailbox to the Email section"
description: "Attach another IMAP/SMTP mailbox to your own account, move between the mailboxes you have, and read the status badge each one carries."
updated: "2026-08-28"
audience: [agent, administrator]
source: "https://helpdesk-docs.svr1.feedapp.click/en/email/them-tai-khoan"
---

One console account can hold several IMAP/SMTP mailboxes at the same time. This
page adds the second one from the **Email** screen itself and points at where
the health of each mailbox is shown.

## Goal [#goal]

Two or more mailboxes sitting in **Email**, reached through the picker at the
top of the folder column, each carrying a status of its own.

## Before you begin [#before-you-begin]

* One mailbox already connected. Without one, start at [Connect an IMAP/SMTP mailbox](/en/kenh/ket-noi-email).
* The address and password of the second mailbox, plus an app password where the provider demands one.
* Any role can connect a mailbox of their own; this is not an administrative task.
* What each field of the connection form means is on the page linked above, and is not repeated here.

## Steps [#steps]

1. Press **Email** in the left column, then the gear labelled **Settings** at the
   top of the folder column.
2. The console lists the mailboxes you have connected, each row with a status
   badge and a **Disconnect** button.

   ![The mailbox settings screen with two mailbox rows, each carrying a Connected badge and a Disconnect button, and a Connect a mailbox button underneath; the addresses are masked](https://helpdesk-docs.svr1.feedapp.click/images/docs/email/them-tai-khoan/02-danh-sach-hop-thu.en.webp)

   *The mailbox list behind the gear. Addresses are masked because the picture was taken on real data.*
3. Press **Connect a mailbox** at the foot of the list. The connection form opens
   in place.
4. Fill in the address and the password, press **Test connection**, then press
   **Sign in** once both directions pass.
5. The console reports **Mailbox connected** and opens the mailbox you added.
6. Press the mailbox name at the top of the folder column. The **Mailbox** picker
   lists each mailbox with its unread count, and ticks the one that is open.
7. Pick the other mailbox to go back. The picker appears only from two mailboxes
   onwards; with one, that spot prints the address instead.
8. Do not expect your filters to follow: the search box, the label filter and the
   **Unread** chip belong to the mailbox you left, so the console leaves them there.

## Verify [#verify]

The **Mailbox** picker lists both addresses. On the gear screen, the new mailbox
carries **Waiting for first sync** and turns to **Connected** once the first
sync run finishes.

Open the new mailbox: its folder tree appears and mail starts landing in
**Inbox**. The unread count beside its name in the picker climbs with it.

> **Note:** Mail is pulled in only while the `MAIL_SYNC_ENABLED` environment variable is
> on — and on **exactly one** api-engine process, not on all of them. This
> belongs to whoever runs the deployment; the `README.md` file in the source
> tree lists this variable alongside the other operational ones.

## Troubleshooting [#troubleshooting]

| Symptom                                                               | Cause                                                                              | What to do                                                                                        |
| --------------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **You have already connected this mailbox.**                          | That address is on your list already                                               | Close the form and open it from the **Mailbox** picker                                            |
| The new mailbox stays on **Waiting for first sync**                   | No process is running the fetch loop                                               | Ask whoever runs the deployment to check `MAIL_SYNC_ENABLED`                                      |
| A **Password rejected** badge                                         | The mail server stopped accepting the credentials, usually after a password change | Press **Disconnect** and connect again with the new password; there is no in-place password field |
| A **Connection problem** or **Paused** badge                          | The mail server is not answering, or syncing was stopped for that mailbox          | Press **Refresh**; if it persists, check the provider's own mail server                           |
| **Disconnect** pressed by mistake                                     | It drops the synced mail from the console; nothing is removed on the mail server   | Connect the mailbox again and let it sync from scratch                                            |
| A message that the server is not configured to store mail credentials | The deployment has no `MAIL_CRED_KEY` encryption key set                           | Ask an administrator to set that key, then retry                                                  |

## Next steps [#next-steps]

* [Organize mail with folders, labels and flags](/en/email/thu-muc-va-nhan)
* [Connect an IMAP/SMTP mailbox](/en/kenh/ket-noi-email)
* [Read and send email in the console](/en/email)