Mail app settings (IMAP and SMTP)

Any mail app that supports IMAP works with FiniteHost: Outlook, Apple Mail, Thunderbird, the Gmail app, Samsung Email, eM Client and others. This page lists the settings once, explains the choices, and links to step-by-step guides for the most common apps.

Before you start#

Create the mailbox and copy its password (Email accounts).
Your domain does not need its MX record set up yet to add the account to an app. You can sign in and read mail as soon as the mailbox exists. Receiving mail from outside needs the MX record (Email DNS records).

The settings#

Settings card: IMAP mail.finitehost.com port 993 SSL/TLS, SMTP mail.finitehost.com port 587 STARTTLS or 465 SSL/TLS, user name is the full address

	Incoming mail	Outgoing mail
Protocol	IMAP	SMTP
Server	`mail.finitehost.com`	`mail.finitehost.com`
Port	`993`	`587` (or `465`)
Security	SSL/TLS	STARTTLS on 587, SSL/TLS on 465
Authentication	Normal password	Normal password (outgoing server requires sign-in)
User name	full email address, e.g. `priya@acme.in`	the same full address
Password	the mailbox password from the panel	the same password

Which outgoing port should I use?#

Both work and both are encrypted:

587 with STARTTLS is the modern standard and the panel's default. Start with this.
465 with SSL/TLS encrypts from the first byte. Use it if your network or app has trouble with 587.

Port 25 is not for mail apps. Many internet providers block it, and FiniteHost only accepts mail from apps on 587 and 465.

Why IMAP and not POP3#

IMAP keeps your mail on the server and syncs every folder, read flag and deletion to all your devices. Read a message on your phone and it shows as read in webmail and on your laptop. FiniteHost offers IMAP only; POP3 and unencrypted connections (ports 110, 143) are switched off.

Folders#

Each mailbox comes with Inbox, Sent, Drafts, Junk and Trash. Apps detect them automatically. If your app creates its own "Sent Items" or "Deleted Items" folders instead, point it at Sent and Trash in its account or folder settings so all devices agree.

Step-by-step guides#

Outlook for Windows and Mac (classic Outlook, new Outlook, Outlook for Mac)
Gmail app on Android
Apple Mail on iPhone, iPad and Mac
Thunderbird
FiniteHost Mail app for Android (coming soon)

Using a different app? Look for Add account → Other or IMAP → Manual setup, and enter the values from the table.

Sending from a website, printer or scanner#

Anything that can send mail with SMTP authentication can use a FiniteHost mailbox, for example a scanner that emails documents or an app on another server: server mail.finitehost.com, port 587 with STARTTLS (or 465 with SSL/TLS), the full address as user name and its password. It can only send with that mailbox's own address in the From line.

Common setup errors#

What the app says	What it usually means	Fix
"Authentication failed", "Incorrect password", "Login failed"	Wrong password, or the user name is not the full address	Use the full address as user name. Paste the password. If unsure, make a new password in the panel and wait a minute.
"Cannot connect to server", "Server not responding"	Wrong server name, wrong port, or the network blocks the port	Check `mail.finitehost.com`, 993 for IMAP, 587 or 465 for SMTP. Try another network, such as mobile data.
"The certificate is not valid" or "Cannot verify server identity"	The server name is not `mail.finitehost.com` (for example `mail.acme.in`)	Change the server name to `mail.finitehost.com`. Never accept or trust a certificate warning.
Receiving works, sending fails with "relay denied" or "must authenticate"	The outgoing server has no sign-in set	Turn on "Outgoing server requires authentication" and use the same user name and password.
Sending fails with "sender address rejected" or "not owned by user"	The From address in the app is not the mailbox you signed in as	Make the app's email address the same as the user name.
Sending fails with a "rate limit" or "too many messages" error	You reached the sending limit	Wait and try later. See Limits and policies.
Worked before, now fails for everyone on your network	Too many wrong passwords from your network blocked it for a while	Fix the password in every device, then wait and retry.
"Your plan is unpaid" or sign-in suddenly fails for all mailboxes	The plan is suspended	Renew the plan. Mail still arrives while suspended.

More fixes: Email troubleshooting.