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Connect a mailbox

How-to Reviewed · not yet fact-checked

In short

How do I connect a mailbox in Reply?

Open Settings, go to the Email Accounts tab, and click New email account. Choose your provider: Gmail, Outlook, or Exchange single-click, Exchange (on-premises) via Autodiscover, or Other Provider with manual IMAP and SMTP settings. Sign in or test the connection; a green dot next to the address confirms the mailbox is connected. Generic domains like gmail.com are not accepted.

Goal

An email account connected with a green status dot — ready to assign to sequences.

Preconditions

  • Access to the mailbox being connected. Connecting a mailbox is recommended as the first setup step, but you can add it later — it becomes mandatory only when you launch email campaigns.
  • The address uses a business (corporate) domain. Generic domains such as gmail.com and yahoo.com work as your Reply login but cannot be added as sending accounts.
  • For Gmail: IMAP enabled (in Gmail Settings, open Forwarding & POP/IMAP and check Enable IMAP) and 2-factor verification enabled.
  • For Outlook/Office 365 single-click: IMAP enabled — ask your administrator if you cannot access the setting.
  • If your plan's included mailboxes are already in use, the New email account flow shows a payment confirmation before continuing; the number of included emails is listed in the Plans & Billing tab under Subscription.

Steps

  1. Open Settings and go to the Email Accounts tab.
  2. Click New email account.
  3. Select your email provider and click Continue.
  4. Complete the provider-specific flow (see the options below).
  5. Confirm the dot next to the account is green — the sign of a successful connection. A red dot indicates an issue; hover over it for troubleshooting tips.

Gmail (single-click)

Select Gmail, choose the mailbox, sign in, and accept Reply's Privacy Policy and Terms of Service. Accounts connected this way send through the Gmail API instead of SMTP by default — to switch, open the account in Email Accounts, expand the Sending and receiving section, and select the option you need. If single-click fails, connect via Other Provider with imap.gmail.com (port 993) and smtp.gmail.com (port 465), SSL enabled for both; with 2-factor authentication on, use an app-generated password instead of the mailbox password.

Outlook/Office 365 and Exchange (single-click)

Outlook is recommended for Outlook/Office 365 accounts with IMAP enabled — it will not work while IMAP is disabled. Exchange is recommended for EWS mailboxes on Microsoft servers; it uses API for receiving emails instead of IMAP, and also fits Office 365 accounts you want connected via EWS. Either way, select the option and sign in to the mailbox. To set up an Outlook account for IMAP/SMTP sending instead: choose Other Provider, enable I want to use different email servers for sending and receiving emails, enter the SMTP settings (smtp-mail.outlook.com, port 587, SSL off), save the changes, then click Connect Office 365 and sign in — the IMAP settings for receiving populate automatically.

Exchange (on-premises)

Recommended for EWS on private servers. Choose Exchange (on-premises) and click Continue, enter the email address and mailbox password, click Autodiscover next to the EWS Endpoint field, then test the connection and save. If the endpoint is not discovered, paste the EWS URL you see when logging in through a browser.

Other Provider (manual setup)

The provider must support IMAP, SMTP, and third-party app connections, and IMAP must be enabled. Enter the host names and port numbers listed on the provider's side and the Sender Name recipients will see, then click Test next to Sending and Receiving and make sure both dots are green.

Email alias

Choose Other Provider and enable I want to use different email servers for sending and receiving emails. In the IMAP section, use the primary mailbox as the user name with its password. In the SMTP section, put the alias address in the Email field, keep the primary mailbox as the user name and in the Reply to field, and set the Sender Name. Click Test and confirm both dots are green.

Expected result

The account is listed in Email Accounts with a green dot and can be assigned to sequences.

Verification

The dot next to the account is green for both sending and receiving. Once the account is assigned to a sequence, send yourself a test email from a step editor — see Launch a sequence.

What happens next

Assign the account to sequences — mailbox selection distributes contacts across assigned accounts. Set the account's daily limit and send delay before real volume — see Configure sending limits — and review deliverability and email warm-up guidance for a new or cold mailbox.

Common mistakes

  • Trying to add a generic-domain address (gmail.com, yahoo.com) — Reply accepts only business domains for sending.
  • Connecting Gmail manually with 2-factor authentication using the mailbox password — an app-generated password is required.
  • Choosing the Outlook single-click option while IMAP is disabled — it will not work; enable IMAP or use the Exchange option.
  • Confusing Exchange (EWS on Microsoft servers) with Exchange (on-premises) (EWS on private servers).

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