---
title: "Connect an IMAP/SMTP mailbox"
description: "Attach an IMAP/SMTP mailbox to the CloudFly Helpdesk console: let it guess the servers, correct the ports and TLS, then test before you sign in."
updated: "2026-08-28"
audience: [agent, administrator]
source: "https://helpdesk-docs.svr1.feedapp.click/en/kenh/ket-noi-email"
---

The console reads and sends mail over IMAP/SMTP under **Email**. A mailbox is
connected there, not in the channel wizard: the **Choose a channel** screen has
no email tile.

## Goal [#goal]

A mailbox connected inside the console, so you can read incoming mail and send
replies without leaving your working window.

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

* The address and the password of that mailbox.
* An app password, if the provider requires one. Where it does, an account password is always refused.
* The IMAP and SMTP host names and ports, in case the guess from your domain is wrong.
* A mail server on a public address. Internal addresses are refused server-side.

> **Warning:** This mailbox belongs to **one person**, not to the team. It creates no
> conversations in the shared queue and never appears in the **Channels** list.
> Colleagues cannot read your mail, and the administrator role does not open
> anybody else's mailbox either.

## Steps [#steps]

1. Press **Email** in the left column. With no mailbox connected the screen reads
   **No mailbox connected**.
2. Press **Connect a mailbox**. The connection form opens inside the content area.

   ![The Connect a mailbox card with an Email account field, a Password field, an Advanced settings disclosure and the Test connection and Sign in buttons beneath](https://helpdesk-docs.svr1.feedapp.click/images/docs/kenh/ket-noi-email/02-bieu-mau-ket-noi-hop-thu.en.webp)

   *The mailbox connection form, before the advanced settings are opened.*
3. Type the address into **Email account**. The console guesses the servers from
   your domain and says outright that it is a guess.
4. Type the password into **Password**. Where a provider requires an app password,
   pasting that app password here is the only route in.
5. If the guess is wrong, open **Advanced settings** and correct **Incoming
   server**, **IMAP port**, **Outgoing server** and **SMTP port**.
6. Set the two **Use TLS** switches to match the ports: on for 993 and 465, off
   for 143 and 587.
7. Fill in **Username** if the provider wants something other than the address,
   and **Display name** for the name on the mail you send.
8. Press **Test connection**. The **Incoming (IMAP)** and **Outgoing (SMTP)** lines
   report each direction separately.
9. With both lines passing, press **Sign in**. The console opens the mailbox and
   starts syncing.

> **Note:** Mail sync runs in a background process and **may be enabled on exactly one
> process**, through the `MAIL_SYNC_ENABLED` environment variable. Scale the
> API service without honouring that and several processes log into the same
> mailbox every minute. This is an operations concern, described in the
> installation's `README.md`.

## Verify [#verify]

After **Sign in**, the mailbox's folder tree appears down the left of the
**Email** section, and inbox mail starts arriving within a few minutes.

Send yourself a message from that mailbox with the compose button. Its leaving
proves SMTP works; its arrival back in the inbox proves IMAP does.

## Troubleshooting [#troubleshooting]

| Symptom                                        | Cause                                                      | What to do                                                         |
| ---------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| The server rejected this username and password | The provider requires an app password                      | Create an app password and paste it into **Password**              |
| That server name does not resolve              | A typo in a host under **Advanced settings**               | Check the host name character by character                         |
| That address is not reachable from this server | The host resolves to a private network, refused on purpose | Use the provider's public host name                                |
| Nothing is listening on that port              | The port number is wrong                                   | Set 993 or 143 for IMAP, 465 or 587 for SMTP                       |
| The port and the TLS setting disagree          | A **Use TLS** switch contradicts its port                  | Turn TLS on for 993 and 465, off for 143 and 587                   |
| Connected, but no mail ever arrives            | Sync is enabled on no process at all                       | Ask the deployer to set `MAIL_SYNC_ENABLED` on exactly one process |
| A colleague's mailbox is nowhere to be found   | A mailbox is tied to one person by design                  | Ask that person to forward what the team has to handle             |

## Next steps [#next-steps]

* [Supported channels](/en/kenh)
* [Spot and fix a disconnected channel](/en/kenh/suc-khoe-ket-noi)
* [Shared inboxes and channels](/en/khai-niem/inbox-va-kenh)