Mailbox connections
Diagnose IMAP and SMTP authentication, DNS, TLS, and hosting failures.
Use this guide when Test Connection fails. First confirm the mailbox works in provider webmail, then record whether IMAP, SMTP, or both failed. Browser access to webmail does not prove the WordPress server can reach the mail protocols.
Check the settings in order
| Error or symptom | Check |
|---|---|
| Host not found | Provider hostname and DNS resolution from WordPress |
| Connection timed out | Host availability and outbound port restrictions |
| TLS or certificate error | Hostname, port/security pair, and certificate validity |
| Authentication rejected | Username, credential type, app-password scope, and provider policy |
| IMAP works, SMTP fails | Outgoing credentials, sender authorization, SMTP AUTH, and outbound SMTP |
| SMTP works, IMAP fails | Incoming host, IMAP access, and mail permission scope |
Use server names from the provider's mail-client settings. Do not use a webmail URL, an MX record copied without checking, or a guessed hostname.
Credentials and provider policy
Use the complete mailbox username the provider specifies. An app password is different from a normal login password. A successful Microsoft sign-in can still be blocked later by mailbox or tenant policy.
Gmail uses an app password in the checked build; Google OAuth is unavailable. Microsoft OAuth is available, including in Free. Yahoo, iCloud, and Proton remain coming-soon selections. The first-mailbox guide lists the available paths.
If organizational policy rejects the connection method, ask the administrator whether this client is permitted. Do not disable security controls or keep retrying rejected credentials.
TLS and network access
Match SSL/TLS with an implicit TLS port such as IMAP 993 or SMTP 465. STARTTLS commonly uses IMAP 143 or SMTP 587. Follow your provider's exact pair.
The hostname must match the TLS certificate. PressedMail does not provide a certificate-verification bypass. Fix an expired, untrusted, or mismatched certificate at the provider or configuration level.
Ask the WordPress host about outbound access to the specific server and port you use. A test from your laptop does not answer that question.
PHP IMAP is not required
Saved mailbox connections always use the bundled Webklex driver. Diagnostics may report whether native PHP IMAP is installed, but that does not change the account driver.
Do not ask the host to install php-imap or add a driver-switch constant to fix an account connection. Check PHP 8.2 or newer, DNS, TLS, credentials, and outbound connectivity instead.
Test after the correction
Run the connection test again, then check a recent incoming message and send to an address you control. Confirm the reply arrives before considering the connection complete.
Use the provider-specific instructions for Gmail, Microsoft, other providers, or hosting email. A connection that passes but later stops refreshing belongs in Inbox sync and sending.