Connect any mailbox to Mailbind
Mailbind connects to the mailboxes you already own over IMAP and SMTP. Pick your provider for the exact settings, or type the servers yourself if it is not listed.
What Mailbind needs from a mailbox
Two protocols, nothing more. IMAP reads your mail and keeps the folders in step; SMTP sends. Every mail provider worth using exposes both, which is why a client can read a mailbox it does not host — and why your mail is never locked into Mailbind. Disconnect and it stays where it has always been.
For each mailbox Mailbind asks for four things: the incoming host and port, the outgoing host and port, the username — almost always the full email address — and a password. Several providers want a password generated for the client rather than the one you sign in with, which is a good thing: it can be revoked on its own.
| Protocol | Port | Encryption | Use |
|---|---|---|---|
| IMAP | 993 | SSL/TLS (implicit) | Recommended for reading mail |
| IMAP | 143 | STARTTLS | Where 993 is unavailable |
| SMTP | 465 | SSL/TLS (implicit) | Recommended for sending |
| SMTP | 587 | STARTTLS | The submission standard |
Those four are the only ports Mailbind will open, and it refuses private, loopback and link-local addresses. A mail server field that accepted anything would be a way of scanning the inside of our network, so it does not.
It usually guesses correctly
Type the address on the connect screen and Mailbind looks up the domain’s MX records to work out who actually runs the mail. That is how a custom domain whose mail sits at Microsoft 365, OVHcloud or Infomaniak is recognised without you knowing it, and it is more reliable than going by the part after the @.
When the records say something clear, the server fields are filled in from the matching preset. When they do not, you pick the provider yourself, and when it is a server nobody has heard of you type the four values. The form keeps whatever you type.
- Presets ship for Gmail, Outlook and Microsoft 365, iCloud, Yahoo, OVHcloud, IONOS and Infomaniak.
- “Continue with Google” and “Continue with Microsoft” are offered where the deployment has those apps configured, so no password is typed at all.
- Everything is tested before it is saved: a wrong password or a blocked port shows up on the form, not as a mailbox that silently never syncs.
App passwords, device passwords, mailbox passwords
The vocabulary differs per provider and the idea is the same: a credential that belongs to one client. Apple and Yahoo require one. Google requires one when two-step verification is on and you are not signing in with Google. Infomaniak calls it a device password. Zoho asks for one when two-factor authentication is on.
Hosting providers — IONOS, OVHcloud, Gandi, o2switch — are the other family. There the mailbox has a password of its own, set in the control panel, and the mistake everyone makes once is typing the control-panel login instead.
- Whatever the name, Mailbind encrypts it with AES-256-GCM before storing it and never shows it again.
- Revoke the app password and Mailbind loses access, with nothing else affected.
- Change your main account password at Google, Apple or Yahoo and every app password is invalidated at once, so the mailbox will ask for a new one.
If your provider is not on the list
Choose “Another provider” and enter the four values. Any IMAP and SMTP server works, including a Dovecot or Postfix server you run yourself, as long as it is reachable on one of the four ports above and presents a valid certificate.
Most providers publish the settings on a page called something like “configure your mail client”, and the eleven pages below quote the official one for each. If you cannot find yours, the free IMAP and SMTP settings finder works it out from your domain’s MX records — the same detection the connect screen uses — and says whether it recognised a provider or fell back to a guess.
Common questions
Does Mailbind move my email?
No. It connects to your existing mailbox and keeps a synchronised copy so the list and search are instant. Your mail stays with your provider, and disconnecting deletes Mailbind’s copy.
How many mailboxes can I connect?
Two on the Free plan and as many as you want on Pro and Team.
Do I need an app password?
For Gmail with two-step verification, iCloud, Yahoo, Infomaniak and Zoho with two-factor authentication, yes. For hosting providers it is the mailbox’s own password instead.
Can I connect my own mail server?
Yes, over IMAP and SMTP on ports 993, 143, 465 or 587 with a valid certificate. Private and loopback addresses are refused.
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Page updated October 29, 2026