Configure Outlook, Thunderbird and phones for cPanel email

Once a mailbox exists in cPanel, people want it on their laptop and phone. Most problems come from three choices: IMAP or POP3, the right port, and the right server name. This guide gives the values that work with cPanel's mail server and shows how to set them in common apps.

Before you start

• An email account created in cPanel. See create and manage email accounts in cPanel.
• The account's full address and password.
• The server name shown in Email » Email Accounts » Connect Devices for that address.

IMAP or POP3?

• IMAP keeps mail on the server and syncs folders, read status and sent items across every device. Use it in almost every case.
• POP3 downloads mail to one device. It suits a single computer that archives everything locally, but phones and laptops quickly get out of sync.

If you use POP3, mail is usually removed from the server after download, so Webmail and other devices no longer see it.

The settings

Use the secure (SSL/TLS) settings from Connect Devices:

• Username: the full email address, for example info@example.com.
• Password: the email account password.
• Incoming (IMAP): port 993, SSL/TLS.
• Incoming (POP3): port 995, SSL/TLS.
• Outgoing (SMTP): port 465, SSL/TLS, with authentication on using the same username and password.
• Alternative SMTP: port 587 with STARTTLS, if a network blocks 465.

Which server name?

The server name must match a certificate, or apps show warnings. Connect Devices shows the right one for your server. It is usually either:

• the server hostname, such as server.example.com, which has its own certificate, or
• mail.example.com, when AutoSSL has secured that name for the domain.

Do not use the bare IP address. The certificate cannot match it.

Use the automatic setup scripts

On Connect Devices, cPanel offers Mail Client Automated Configuration Scripts for several apps and platforms, including Outlook, Thunderbird and Apple devices. Download the right one on the device, open it and enter the password when asked. The Apple option installs a configuration profile on iPhone, iPad or Mac.

Many apps also try autodiscovery when you enter only the address and password. That works when the domain has the cPanel autodiscovery DNS records and they are covered by a certificate. If it fails, use manual setup.

Manual setup in common apps

Thunderbird

1. Add a new mail account and enter your name, address and password.
2. Click Configure manually.
3. Incoming: IMAP, server name from Connect Devices, port 993, SSL/TLS, normal password.
4. Outgoing: SMTP, same server, port 465, SSL/TLS, normal password.
5. Set both usernames to the full address and click Done.

Outlook

1. Add an account, enter the address and choose Advanced options, then Let me set up my account manually.
2. Choose IMAP.
3. Enter the incoming and outgoing servers, ports 993 and 465, with SSL/TLS encryption.
4. Enter the password and finish.

Menus differ between Outlook versions. If you cannot find manual IMAP setup, check Microsoft's current help for your version.

iPhone and iPad

Settings » Mail » Accounts » Add Account » Other » Add Mail Account. Choose IMAP, then fill in the incoming and outgoing host names, the full address as username and the password. iOS selects SSL automatically.

Android

In Gmail or your mail app, add an Other account, choose Personal (IMAP), and enter the same server, ports and full-address username.

Check it works

Send a message from the device to an outside address and reply to it. Both should appear, and the sent item should show in Webmail if you use IMAP. From a computer, you can test the ports:

nc -vz server.example.com 993
nc -vz server.example.com 465

Both should report the connection succeeded.

Troubleshooting

• Certificate warning: the server name does not match the certificate. Use the name from Connect Devices, usually the hostname.
• Can receive but not send: outgoing authentication is off, or a network blocks the port. Turn on SMTP authentication and try 587 with STARTTLS.
• Login keeps failing: use the full address as the username. After many failures, cPHulk may block the IP; see cPHulk brute force protection.
• Mail disappears from other devices: one device uses POP3. Change it to IMAP.

Next steps

• Fix sending problems: cPanel email not sending.
• Improve inbox placement: SPF, DKIM and DMARC in cPanel.