# Connect a mailbox

> Add a sending email account in Settings — single-click Gmail, Outlook, and Exchange connections, Autodiscover for on-premises Exchange, manual IMAP and SMTP setup, aliases, and the corporate-domain rule.

**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.**

_Status: Reviewed — human-edited, facts not yet confirmed against the product._

## Goal

An [email account](/specifications/email-accounts) 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](/how-to/launch-a-sequence).

## What happens next

Assign the account to sequences — [mailbox selection](/behavior/mailbox-selection)
distributes contacts across assigned accounts. Set the account's daily limit and send
delay before real volume — see [Configure sending limits](/how-to/configure-sending-limits) —
and review [deliverability](/capabilities/deliverability) and
[email warm-up](/learn/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).

## Related

- [Email accounts](/specifications/email-accounts)
- [Configure sending limits](/how-to/configure-sending-limits)
- [Deliverability](/capabilities/deliverability)
- [Why was a mailbox disconnected?](/troubleshooting/mailbox-was-disconnected)

## Build with Reply

- REST API: [docs.reply.io](https://docs.reply.io/api-reference/introduction) — email-accounts endpoints
- MCP: [agents.reply.io/mcp](https://agents.reply.io/mcp) — agents manage account settings and check warmup status