How to Add an Email Account in Mail for Mac

Your settings

Keep these open while you follow the steps. The server name is in the account details we sent when we created your mailbox. Copy it exactly rather than guessing: a server name that is close but not exact is the most common cause of a security certificate warning.

Account type	IMAP
Username	Your full email address, for example [email protected]
Password	Your mailbox password
Incoming server	The mail server name in the account details we sent you
Incoming port	993, security SSL/TLS
Outgoing server (SMTP)	The same mail server name
Outgoing port	465, security SSL/TLS
Outgoing authentication	Required. Use the same username and password

Choose IMAP whenever you are offered a choice. IMAP keeps your mail on the server, so your phone, laptop and webmail all show the same inbox. POP (port 995, SSL/TLS) downloads mail to one device and removes it from the server, so only use it if we have asked you to.

Add the account

1. Open Mail. If it has never been set up, it asks you to choose a mail provider straight away. Otherwise, choose Mail in the menu bar, then Add Account.
2. Choose Other Mail Account and select Continue.
3. Enter your name, your full email address and your password, then select Sign In.
4. Mail will say it is unable to verify the account and show more fields. That is expected. Fill them in:
   • Username: your full email address
   • Account Type: IMAP
   • Incoming Mail Server: the server name we sent you
   • Outgoing Mail Server: the same server name
5. Select Sign In, leave Mail ticked, and select Done.

Confirm the secure ports

Mail usually picks the right connection settings by itself. It takes a minute to check:

1. Choose Mail, then Settings (called Preferences on older versions of macOS), then the Accounts tab.
2. Select your new account, then Server Settings.
3. Under Incoming Mail Server, untick Automatically manage connection settings, set the port to 993 and tick Use TLS/SSL.
4. Under Outgoing Mail Server, do the same with port 465 and Use TLS/SSL. Authentication should be Password.
5. Select Save.

Send yourself a short test message to confirm both directions work.

If something goes wrong

• "Username or password is incorrect." The username is your whole email address, not just the part before the @. Retype the password rather than pasting it, since a pasted space at the end is enough to fail.
• A warning that the server's identity cannot be verified. Check the server name against the one we sent you, letter for letter. Do not accept the warning permanently; it is there to protect your password.
• Mail arrives but will not send. Open the outgoing (SMTP) settings and make sure authentication is turned on with the same username and password, on port 465 with SSL/TLS.
• Mail shows on one device but not the others. The account was probably added as POP. Talk to us before you remove it, because mail that only exists on that device can be lost.
• Forgot your password or never received the account details? We can reset it or resend them.

Still stuck? Get in touch and tell us which app and device you are using. We can walk you through it.