Set up email on your devices
To read and send email from your own domain on a computer or phone, you add the mailbox to an email app. Most apps try to find the settings automatically, and when they cannot, you enter a few details by hand. This guide covers the information you need, a manual setup that works in any app, and the fixes for the most common errors.
The details you need
Email apps ask for the same information, even when they label it differently:
| Setting | What to enter |
|---|---|
| Email address | Your full address, such as jane@example.com |
| Username | Usually your full email address again, not just jane |
| Password | Your mailbox password, or an app password if your provider requires one |
| Incoming server | The IMAP (or POP3) server name from your provider, such as imap.example.net |
| Incoming port and security | Usually 993 with SSL/TLS for IMAP |
| Outgoing server | The SMTP server name from your provider, such as smtp.example.net |
| Outgoing port and security | Usually 465 with SSL/TLS, or 587 with STARTTLS |
| Outgoing authentication | On, using the same username and password |
Choose IMAP rather than POP3 if the app asks, so your mail stays in step across all your devices. IMAP, POP3 and SMTP explained explains the difference and the ports.
Add the mailbox
Every app looks a little different, but the process is the same.
- Open your email app and choose to add a new account. In most apps this is in the account settings or the first-run screen.
- Enter your email address. If the app offers a list of well-known email services, choose the option for another or IMAP account.
- If the app offers manual setup or advanced setup, choose it. Automatic setup can pick the wrong server for a mailbox at your own domain.
- Choose IMAP as the account type.
- Enter the incoming server name, port and security setting from your provider.
- Enter the outgoing server name, port and security setting, and make sure outgoing authentication is on.
- Enter your full email address as the username and your password, then save.
App notes
- Outlook for Windows and Mac: after entering your address, look for the advanced option to set up the account yourself, then choose IMAP.
- Apple Mail on Mac, iPhone and iPad: add an account of type "Other" and then "Add Mail Account". The incoming and outgoing servers are shown on the same screen.
- Thunderbird: it tries to find the settings itself. Check what it found before you continue, and use the manual configuration option to correct anything that does not match your provider's details.
- Android phones: the steps depend on the app. In most email apps, add an account, choose "Other" or "Personal (IMAP)", then use manual setup.
Test sending and receiving
Once the account is added, check that both directions work:
- Send a message from the new account to another address you can check, such as a personal mailbox at a different provider.
- Reply to it from that other mailbox.
- Confirm the reply arrives in the new account, and that your first message appears in its Sent folder.
If the message lands in the recipient's spam folder, your domain's SPF, DKIM or DMARC records may need attention. See SPF, DKIM and DMARC explained.
Common errors
| What you see | Likely cause and fix |
|---|---|
| "Cannot connect to server" or a timeout | The server name or port is wrong, or the security setting does not match the port. Recheck each value against your provider's details. |
| "Authentication failed" or repeated password prompts | The username should be the full email address. Retype the password, and check whether your provider needs an app password. |
| You can receive but not send | Outgoing authentication is off, or the outgoing port is 25. Turn authentication on and use port 465 or 587. |
| A certificate warning | The server name does not match the provider's certificate. Use the exact server name your provider gives, not a name you guessed. |
| Mail shows on one device but not another | One device is set up with POP3. Remove that account and add it again with IMAP. |
| Sent messages are missing on other devices | The app saves sent mail locally. In the account settings, choose the server's Sent folder for sent messages. |
If your app warns that a server certificate is not trusted, do not tell it to accept the certificate. Check the server name first. A warning can also mean your connection is being intercepted, especially on public Wi-Fi.
If an app still refuses to connect, try setting up the same mailbox in a different app or on another network. If it works there, the problem is with the first app or network rather than with the mailbox.
For the server settings to use with a DomainPilot mailbox, follow Set up your email on the DomainPilot website.