Connect an email mailbox with IMAP

An Email (IMAP) connection signs in to a mailbox the way a mail app on your phone does: by its incoming (IMAP) server, a username and a password. It lets the New email trigger start a workflow when an email arrives, and lets steps move an email or mark it read. It reads mail; it does not send it.

Who can do this

Workspace Admins and Editors, on every plan — Email (IMAP) is not a premium connection. Viewers see the connection but cannot add or change it.

On the mail side, you need the mailbox's password, or the right to make an app password for it.

Before you start

Find three things for the mailbox, in your mail provider's help pages under IMAP settings:

• The IMAP server — the incoming server, for example imap.zoho.in. Not the outgoing (SMTP) server.
• Security and port — almost always SSL/TLS on port 993. Some hosts use STARTTLS on port 143. Leave Port empty and it follows Security: 993 for SSL/TLS, 143 for STARTTLS.
• The password to use — the mailbox's own password, or an app password if the account has two-step sign-in on.

Some providers also need IMAP switched on for the mailbox first. The usual settings for common providers are below — check them against your provider's own help page, as they can differ by account or region.

Usual settings by provider

Gmail. In your Google Account, open Security, turn on 2-Step Verification if it is off, then make an app password (search App passwords in the Google Account). Google shows 16 letters once — paste them in Password. A Google Workspace administrator can turn app passwords off for the organisation; if the option is missing, ask them.

Zoho Mail. In Zoho Mail, open Settings › Mail Accounts, select the address, and make sure IMAP Access is on. With two-factor authentication on, make an app password in Zoho Accounts under Security › App Passwords. The server depends on where your account is kept — .in for India, .eu for Europe — and Zoho's IMAP settings page shows the one for your account.

GoDaddy. These settings are for GoDaddy's own Professional Email. If your GoDaddy email is Microsoft 365 from GoDaddy, it is a Microsoft mailbox — see Outlook.com and Microsoft 365.

Hostinger. In hPanel, Emails › your domain › Connect apps and devices shows the mailbox's IMAP settings.

cPanel hosts. In cPanel, open Email Accounts, then Connect Devices beside the address. Use the Secure SSL/TLS Settings — the incoming server and the IMAP port, usually 993.

Outlook.com and Microsoft 365. Microsoft has switched off password sign-in for IMAP on most Outlook.com and Microsoft 365 mailboxes, so the server usually refuses the username and password, app password or not. For these mailboxes, add a Microsoft 365 connection and use the Outlook steps — see Find and read Outlook email.

Steps

1. Select Connections in the bar at the top, then + Add connection.
2. Under Communication, select Email (IMAP). It reads "Stored credential".
3. In Connection name, type a name — for example Orders mailbox.
4. In IMAP server, type the incoming server — Your mail provider's incoming (IMAP) server — in its help pages, under IMAP settings.
5. In Security, leave SSL/TLS, or choose STARTTLS if your provider says so — SSL/TLS on port 993 for most providers.
6. Leave Port empty — Empty: 993 with SSL/TLS, 143 with STARTTLS. Type a number only if your provider gives another port. A port that is not a number is refused when the connection is tested.
7. In Username, type the mailbox's address — orders@consulace.com. Usually the whole email address.
8. In Password, paste the password or app password. It is hidden as you type. With two-step sign-in on (Zoho, Gmail), an app password made in your mail account's security settings.
9. Leave Test the connection before saving ticked. Bizomate signs in to the mailbox before keeping the details.
10. Select Save connection. The button reads Testing, then the dialog closes.

The toast "Connection added" says "“Orders mailbox” is ready. Every workflow in this workspace can use it."

What happens next

• The New email trigger, and the Move an email and Mark read or unread steps, list it under Connection.
• Their Folder list shows the mailbox's folders, with Inbox first.
• Test in the connection's panel signs in and answers "Reached" with the username and how many folders it found — for example "Reached orders@consulace.com · 12 folders".
• The password is stored encrypted and never shown again.

Good to know

• Bizomate reads the mailbox; it changes it only when you ask. A check does not mark emails read. Only Mark as read after on the trigger, and the two steps, change anything.
• The server must be on the public internet. A mail server on your own network, or a private address, cannot be reached from Bizomate.
• A new password. If the mailbox's password or app password changes, the connection stops working. Open the connection's panel, select Revoke and Revoke connection, then Reconnect, fill in every field again and select Reconnect. With Test the connection before saving ticked, Reconnect tries the details first and changes nothing if the server refuses them.
• One connection per mailbox. To watch two mailboxes — orders@consulace.com and rohan@consulace.com — add a connection for each.
• A shared or alias address is read through the mailbox it belongs to; sign in as that mailbox.

If something goes wrong

When the test fails, the toast is Email (IMAP) refused it, with the reason and "Nothing was saved."

Related

• Start a workflow when an email arrives
• Move or mark an email with IMAP
• Testing a connection
• Revoking or deleting a connection
• Connect Microsoft 365