Email Accounts Overview
Add a mailbox, confirm IMAP and SMTP settings, and understand what the connection test validates.
PressedMail connects each mailbox with separate IMAP and SMTP settings. IMAP reads folders and messages. SMTP sends outgoing mail. Both sides must work before the account is useful.
Add an account
- Open PressedMail in WordPress.
- Open Settings, then the Email Connections tab.
- Under Your Email Accounts, select Add Account.
- On the Add an Email Account step, choose the provider preset when it matches the mailbox, or choose Custom Email for any other provider.
- On the Account Credentials step, enter the full email address, display name, and the password or app password the provider requires.
- On the Server Configuration step, confirm the IMAP and SMTP host, port, and encryption. Named presets fill these automatically; the server fields only appear for Custom Email.
- Run Test Connection to validate both IMAP and SMTP from the WordPress server.
- Save the account and let the first sync finish.
Authentication Methods
PressedMail supports password or app-password IMAP/SMTP connections and Microsoft OAuth. Google OAuth is not available in the current Published build. The relevant credential types are:
- Normal account password: the password used to sign in to the provider. Works for some self-hosted and cPanel mailboxes, but most large consumer providers reject it for third-party mail clients.
- App-specific password: a separate, provider-generated password intended for mail clients. Required by Gmail, Yahoo, iCloud, AOL, and similar providers when two-step verification is on. Generate it in the provider's account security settings.
- OAuth2 / Modern Auth: available for Outlook and Microsoft 365. Google accounts use an app password because Google OAuth is disabled.
- Bridge-based connection: Proton Mail uses local Bridge software, but the Proton option is not selectable in the current public setup flow.
When a provider offers app passwords or OAuth, prefer those over the normal account password.
Preset Providers
The public setup flow currently allows Gmail, Outlook/Hotmail, and Custom Email. Yahoo Mail, iCloud Mail, and Proton Mail are visible as coming soon and cannot be selected. Presets do not bypass provider security rules.
Every provider without a preset (including Zoho, AOL, Fastmail, mailbox.org, GMX, and cPanel/hosting email) is connected through the Custom Email preset using the provider's documented IMAP and SMTP settings.
Provider Comparison
| Provider | Status | Incoming | Outgoing | Authentication | Special requirement |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gmail | Supported with app password | imap.gmail.com:993 | smtp.gmail.com:587 | App password | Two-step verification |
| Outlook / Microsoft 365 | Available | outlook.office365.com:993 | smtp-mail.outlook.com:587 | Microsoft OAuth | Tenant approval may be required |
| Yahoo Mail | Coming soon | imap.mail.yahoo.com:993 | smtp.mail.yahoo.com:465 | App password | Not selectable yet |
| iCloud Mail | Coming soon | imap.mail.me.com:993 | smtp.mail.me.com:587 | App-specific password | Not selectable yet |
| Proton Mail | Coming soon | Bridge-specific | Bridge-specific | Bridge credentials | Not selectable yet |
| Zoho Mail | Supported with manual configuration | imap.zoho.com:993 | smtp.zoho.com:587 | Password or app password | Custom Email preset |
| AOL Mail | Supported with app password | imap.aol.com:993 | smtp.aol.com:587 | App password | Custom Email preset |
| Fastmail | Supported with manual configuration | imap.fastmail.com:993 | smtp.fastmail.com:587 | App password | Custom Email preset |
| mailbox.org | Supported with manual configuration | imap.mailbox.org:993 | smtp.mailbox.org:587 | Password or app password | Custom Email preset |
| GMX Mail | Supported with manual configuration | imap.gmx.com:993 | mail.gmx.com:587 | Password | Custom Email preset, regional hosts vary |
| Hosting / cPanel email | Supported with manual configuration | Provider-specific | Provider-specific | Mailbox password | Custom Email preset, host may block SMTP |
| Custom IMAP and SMTP | Supported with manual configuration | Any | Any | Password or app password | Use the provider's documented values |
Provider security requirements can change at any time. A connection that works today may require an app password, OAuth, or administrator approval later. Always check the provider's current documentation.
Connection Test
The connection test checks that WordPress can reach the IMAP server with the provided credentials and can reach the SMTP server with the provided sending settings. The resolver tries the selected settings first, then can try common fallback combinations such as IMAP SSL/TLS on 993, IMAP STARTTLS on 143, SMTP STARTTLS on 587, SMTP SSL/TLS on 465, and SMTP STARTTLS on 2525.
If the endpoint returns HTTP 422 in the browser console, the server rejected the supplied account settings. Check the provider page, confirm provider-side access is enabled, and verify that WordPress is allowed to make outbound network connections to the mail servers.
What PressedMail stores
PressedMail stores the account configuration needed by the WordPress plugin, local message indexes, contacts, calendar records, preferences, and cached metadata. The provider still owns the mailbox, folders, authentication policy, spam filtering, and SMTP delivery.
Security Recommendations
- Use an app-specific password wherever the provider offers one, instead of the normal account password.
- Store credentials in a password manager and revoke app passwords when you remove an account from PressedMail.
- PressedMail stores mailbox credentials on the WordPress installation, encrypted at rest. See Security and Privacy for the credential storage and access model.
- Never disable TLS certificate verification to bypass a connection error. PressedMail validates certificates and does not expose a setting to skip validation. A certificate error means the hostname or certificate must be corrected.
- Do not expose local services such as Proton Mail Bridge to the public internet.
Mailbox account connections use the bundled Webklex driver on every host. Native php-imap is not required.
For connection failures, see Email Connection Troubleshooting.