This is the shortest path from nothing to a working mailbox: install the plugin, connect one address, send yourself a message and reply to it. Each step has a check, so you know where it stopped if something fails.
Check the site first
You need WordPress 6.6 or newer, PHP 8.2 or newer, HTTPS and permission to install plugins. Your WordPress server must also be able to reach your mail provider’s IMAP and SMTP servers. If you want the full list of requirements, see the server requirements checklist.
Sign in to your provider’s webmail first and find one recent message. You will look for it inside PressedMail later, so note its subject.
Install the plugin
- In WordPress, open Plugins, then Add Plugin.
- Search for PressedMail and confirm the listing is the one on WordPress.org.
- Choose Install Now, then Activate.
- Open PressedMail in the admin menu.
You can also download the Free ZIP from the directory and use Upload Plugin. WordPress describes both routes in its plugin management guide. A paid build installs the same way from the ZIP in your account.
An illustration of the Upload Plugin screen. It is not a capture of your site.
Check: PressedMail appears in the admin menu and opens without an error. If Site Health reports a database problem, stop and read the requirements checklist.
Connect one mailbox
Open the settings with the Settings icon, go to the Accounts tab and choose Add Account. A full-width screen walks you through three steps. The first is choosing who hosts the mailbox.
- The progress bar. This is step 1 of 3.
- Cancel.
- Gmail, which connects with an app password.
- Setup docs. Every card has one, and it opens the provider’s guide.
- Outlook/Hotmail, with App password or Sign in with Microsoft.
- Custom email, for any provider that gives you IMAP and SMTP settings.
- The Experimental badge on the Proton Mail card.
- Back.
The picture comes from a paid build. Free lists Gmail, Outlook/Hotmail and Custom Email. Yahoo Mail, iCloud Mail and Proton Mail appear in paid builds, and a Free site can still reach any of them through Custom email.
Pick the card that matches who hosts your mail, not the app you read it in. Then follow the guide for your provider:
Run Test Connection before you save. Read the incoming and outgoing results separately, because they are two different connections. The IMAP and SMTP explanation shows why.
Check: the account saves and the inbox starts to sync.
Find the message you noted
Let the first sync finish, then open Inbox and look for the subject you noted. Open it and compare the sender and date with what you saw in webmail.
If it is missing, look in the folder where webmail showed it. An archived or filtered message does not appear in Inbox. If nothing at all appears after a few minutes, go to the delivery troubleshooting guide.
Send a test and reply to it
- Choose Compose.
- Pick the connected mailbox in the From field.
- Send a short plain-text message to a second address you control.
- Open that second address and confirm the message arrived. Check its spam folder if it did not.
- Reply from the second address.
- Wait for the reply to appear in PressedMail.
Both directions work if the message arrives and the reply comes back. The send and receive walkthrough goes into more detail on what each result proves.
What this does not set up
Connecting a mailbox does not change how WordPress sends its own messages. Password resets and form notifications use the separate WordPress Email setting. The WordPress SMTP guide covers that.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to move my email to WordPress?
No. Your provider keeps hosting the mailbox. PressedMail connects to it over IMAP to read and SMTP to send, and keeps its own copy of the data it needs in your WordPress database.
How many mailboxes can I connect on Free?
One per site. A paid plan adds more and a combined inbox.
The test message arrived but the reply did not come back. What now?
Check that the second address really received the message and replied to the right address. Then check the connected mailbox’s folder list. A reply can land in a folder other than Inbox.
Manage your email inside WordPress
PressedMail Free adds an email client directly to your WordPress dashboard. Connect a compatible IMAP/SMTP mailbox, read and send mail, organize messages, and configure WordPress SMTP.
