Configuring email account in Mail.app (Apple Mail & Mac Mail)?

To set up Mac Mail for IMAP, perform the following steps (click here for POP e-mail instructions):

  1. Open Mac Mail. If this is the first time that it has been used, the Setup Assistant will appear. Otherwise, select File / Add Account.
  2. If your operating system is Tiger, click the Continue button, and select IMAP from the Account Type drop-down menu.
  3. Enter the following information:
    • Full Name—Enter your first and last name. This is the name that will appear in the From field of messages you send.
    • Email Address—Enter your entire email address (e.g., [email protected]).
    • Password—Enter the password for your email account.
  4. Click the Continue button.
  5. Enter the following information:
    • Account Type—Select IMAP from the drop-down menu.
    • Description—Enter a descriptive name for your mail account (e.g., Work Mail or Home Mail).
    • Incoming Mail Server—Enter the secure server name: secure.emailsrvr.com
    • User Name—Enter your entire email address (e.g., [email protected]).
    • Password—Enter the password for this account.
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  6. Click the Continue button.
  7. Mac Mail will now attempt to detect the incoming server settings. If the Incoming Mail Security window appears, do the following:
    1. Check the Use Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) box.
    2. In the Authentication drop-down menu, select Password.
    3. Click the Continue button.
  1. Enter the following information:
    • Description—This entry is optional. Enter a descriptive name for your mail account (e.g., Work Mail or Home Mail).
    • Outgoing Mail Server—Enter the secure server name:
      secure.emailsrvr.com
    • Check the Use only this server box.
    • Check the Use Authentication box.
    • User Name—Enter your entire email address (e.g., [email protected]).
    • Password—Enter the password for your email account.
  2. Click the Continue button.
  3. Mac Mail will now attempt to detect the outgoing server settings. If the Outgoing Mail Security window appears, do the following:
    1. Check the Use Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) box.
    2. In the Authentication drop-down menu, select Password.
    3. Click the Continue button.
  4. When the setup process is done, you will see an Account Summary window that summarizes your connections. Click the Create button.

Using IMAP Folders

To simplify the organization of your messages, you can indicate which IMAP folders Mac Mail should use to store sent mail, drafts, spam, and trash.

  1. Select Mail / Preferences.
  2. Click the Accounts button, located at the top of the window.
  3. Click once on your IMAP account, as it appears in the Accounts list.
  4. Click the Mailbox Behaviors tab.
  5. Clear all of the check boxes.
  6. Close the Accounts window.
  7. When prompted to save your changes, click the Save button.
  8. In your IMAP folder, located in the Mailboxes pane (select View / Show Mailboxes to display the pane if it’s not there), do the following:
    • Click once on the Sent, Drafts, Spam, or Trash folder.
    • Select Mailbox / Use This Mailbox For.
    • Select Sent, Drafts, Junk, or Trash from the resulting list in the sub-menu.
  9. The selected folder will disappear from your IMAP list, and will now reappear as the corresponding Mac Mail folder.

Setting up Mail.app for POP Access

To set up Mac Mail for POP, perform the following steps:

  1. Open Mac Mail. If this is the first time that it has been used, the Setup Assistant will appear. Otherwise, select File / Add Account.
  2. If your operating system is Tiger, click the Continue button, and select POP from the Account Type drop-down menu.
  3. Enter the following information:
    • Full Name—Enter your first and last name. This is the name that will appear in the From field of messages you send.
    • Email Address—Enter your entire email address (e.g., [email protected]).
    • Password—Enter the password for your email account.
  4. Click the Continue button.
  5. Enter the following information:
    • Account Type—Select POP from the drop-down menu.
    • Description—Enter a descriptive name for your mail account (e.g., Work Mail or Home Mail).
    • Incoming Mail Server—Enter the secure server name: secure.emailsrvr.com
    • User Name—Enter your entire email address (e.g., [email protected]).
    • Password—Enter the password for this account.
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  6. Click the Continue button.
  7. Mac Mail will now attempt to detect the incoming server settings. If the Incoming Mail Security window appears, do the following:
    1. Check the Use Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) box.
    2. In the Authentication drop-down menu, select Password.
    3. Click the Continue button.
  8. Enter the following information:
    • Description—This entry is optional. Enter a descriptive name for your mail account (e.g., Work Mail or Home Mail).
    • Outgoing Mail Server—Enter the secure server name:
      secure.emailsrvr.com
    • Check the Use only this server box.
    • Check the Use Authentication box.
    • User Name—Enter your entire email address (e.g., [email protected]).
    • Password—Enter the password for your email account.
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  9. Click the Continue button.
  10. Mac Mail will now attempt to detect the outgoing server settings. If the Outgoing Mail Security window appears, do the following:
    1. Check the Use Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) box.
    2. In the Authentication drop-down menu, select Password.
    3. Click the Continue button.
  11. When the setup process is done, you will see an Account Summary window that summarizes your connections. Click the Create button.

Leaving a Copy of Messages on the Server
By default, when you download new messages using Mac Mail, your messages will remain on the hosted server for one week. After one week, they will be deleted from the server. This helps you to avoid exceeding your account’s storage limits. Follow the directions below to make changes to the default settings.

  1. Select Mail / Preferences.
  2. Click once on your account, as it appears in the Accounts list.
  3. Click the Advanced tab.
  4. Select the Remove copy from the server after retrieving a message check box, if desired.
  5. If you selected the check box, click the drop-down menu to indicate when Mac Mail should remove your mail from the server. Or you can indicate that Mac Mail should remove your mail from the server when you move it from the Inbox into another folder.
  6. Close the Accounts window.
  7. Click the Save button.