Is your mailbox hosted somewhere other than Google or Microsoft? You can still connect it using its IMAP and SMTP server settings, and it will work just like any other Gojiberry mailbox. You’ll be able to send campaign emails from it, have replies detected automatically, answer them from the Gojiberry Inbox and, if it’s on your own domain, build its sender reputation with Smart warm-up. Setup takes about two minutes.
What you need
💡 Using Google or Microsoft? Sign in with them instead
If you use Gmail or Google Workspace, choose Gmail / Google Workspace. If you use Office 365, Outlook.com or Hotmail, choose Office 365 / Outlook. Signing in this way is simpler and more reliable: there’s no app password to create, you avoid Microsoft 365 refusing password sign in over IMAP (which happens often), and Smart warm-up works better because it can move warm-up emails out of the Promotions or Other folders. Keep IMAP / SMTP for all other providers.
Your email provider publishes the settings below, usually on a help page called "IMAP settings" or "Set up email in another app" (search for <your provider> IMAP SMTP settings). Have them ready:
Setting | What it looks like |
Incoming server (IMAP) | A server name such as imap.yourprovider.com, and its port: 993 (the most common) or 143. |
Outgoing server (SMTP) | A server name such as smtp.yourprovider.com, and its port: 465 or 587 (the most common), or 2525. The connection is always encrypted, whichever port you pick. |
Username | Almost always your full email address. |
Password | Your mailbox password or, if your account uses two-step verification, an app password created in your provider's security settings. |
⚠️ Port 25 isn't available for now
Gojiberry can't send through SMTP port 25 at the moment. If your provider lists port 25, use 587 or 465 instead: almost every provider accepts them for the same server.
ℹ️ Turn IMAP on first
Some providers keep IMAP access switched off until you enable it in the mailbox settings. If yours does, turn it on before connecting.
Connect your mailbox step by step
Open the mailbox chooser. Go to Settings → Email Accounts and click Connect Mailbox. The same chooser opens when you pick a sender while setting up an email campaign.
Choose IMAP / SMTP, the third option under Connect a new account.
IMAP / SMTP sits below the Google and Microsoft options. Use those two for Google and Microsoft mailboxes.
Enter your address and name. Fill in the email address, then your first and last name: they become the sender name your prospects see in the "From" field (you can change it later).
Fill in the incoming mail (IMAP) settings: server, port, username and password. The username fills itself with your email address; change it only if your provider uses something else.
Fill in the outgoing mail (SMTP) settings: server and port. Use the same username and password as IMAP is checked by default, which is right for most providers. Uncheck it to enter a separate SMTP username and password.
The connection form. Ports 993 and 465 are preselected because they're the most common.
Click Connect mailbox. The button shows Checking the connection... while Gojiberry signs in to your incoming server, then to your outgoing server. Nothing is saved until both work, so a typo never leaves a broken mailbox behind. If something is wrong, the message tells you which server failed and why (see If the connection fails below).
What happens after you connect
On your own domain (for example [email protected]), a window confirms the connection: Your campaigns start with a good reputation. Its Smart warm-up switch is on: leave it on and warm-up starts within about an hour, while your subscription is active. Read Smart warm-up to learn how it works.
On a free address (gmail.com, outlook.com, yahoo.com…), a short "Connected" message appears instead. Free addresses can't join Smart warm-up, however they're connected.
Gradual ramp-up is on. Every new mailbox starts at 2 campaign emails per day, and the limit goes up by 2 each day it sends, up to 30, so email providers learn to trust it. You can change this in the mailbox's Settings & Limits.
The mailbox appears in your list under Settings → Email Accounts, with an envelope icon and the label "IMAP". Open Settings & Limits to set its sender name, signature, tracking and sending volume, and to run the Deliverability check on your domain (SPF, DKIM, DMARC). For more on that check, read Setting up a mailbox that lands in the inbox.
How it works day to day
Feature | With an IMAP / SMTP mailbox |
Campaign emails | Sent through your own SMTP server, with your sender name and signature. Follow-ups reply in the same conversation ("Re:" + the previous subject), unless you turned that off for the mailbox. |
Sent folder | A copy of each campaign email is saved in your Sent folder, so your mailbox looks exactly as if you had sent it yourself. If your server doesn't have a Sent folder, Gojiberry creates one named "Sent". |
Reply detection | Gojiberry checks your Inbox about every 30 minutes. When a prospect replies, the campaign stops for them automatically. |
Gojiberry Inbox | Conversations from your Inbox folder show up in the Gojiberry Inbox next to your LinkedIn messages. You can read them, reply, mark them read or unread, archive them (moved to your Archive folder, created if needed) and delete them (moved to Trash). |
Smart warm-up | On your own domain only. Warm-up emails you send are moved straight to a folder named "Gojiberry warm-up". The ones you receive stay in your Inbox until they're read and archived, then move to that folder too. |
💡 Keep your Sent folder
Gojiberry uses the copies in Sent to match replies to your campaign emails. Don't set up a rule that deletes or moves them automatically.
If the connection fails
The message starts with Could not connect to the IMAP server or Could not connect to the SMTP server, so you know which half to fix. The incoming server is checked first. Then comes the reason:
The message says… | What to do |
The username or password was rejected | Check the username (usually your full address) and the password. If your account uses two-step verification, create an app password with your provider and use it instead. Also make sure IMAP access is turned on in your mailbox settings. |
The server address could not be found | The server name has a typo or doesn't exist. Copy it again from your provider's help page. |
The server did not answer on this port | The port doesn't match the server. Use the port your provider lists: usually 993 for IMAP, and 465 or 587 for SMTP. |
The secure connection failed. Check the port | The port expects a different kind of secure connection. Switch between 993 and 143 for IMAP, or between 465 and 587 for SMTP. |
… is not a public address | The server is on a private network. Gojiberry can only connect to mail servers reachable from the internet. |
… is already connected to your account | This address is already one of your mailboxes. You'll find it in Settings → Email Accounts. |
💡 Still stuck?
Some providers only allow IMAP or SMTP on paid plans, or block sign-ins from new locations until you approve them. Check your provider's security alerts, then contact us through the in-app chat with the error message.
Changing your mailbox password
Gojiberry signs in with the password you entered when you connected the mailbox. If you change that password at your provider (or delete the app password), sending and the Gojiberry Inbox stop working for this mailbox. The mailbox stays in your list, and if Smart warm-up was on it pauses with Paused: access lost.
To fix it, disconnect the mailbox in Settings → Email Accounts, connect it again with the new password, and select it again in the campaigns that used it.
Frequently asked questions
Which providers work with IMAP / SMTP?
Any provider that offers IMAP and SMTP access, which is nearly all of them: Zoho Mail, OVHcloud, IONOS, Fastmail, your web host's email and many more. For Gmail, Google Workspace and Microsoft 365, sign in with Google or Microsoft instead.
Is my password safe?
Yes. Your username and password are encrypted before they're stored and are only used to connect to your own mail server. Using an app password is even safer: you can revoke it at any time without changing your main password.
Can I connect a gmail.com address with IMAP / SMTP?
You can, but we recommend Google sign-in: no app password to create, and Smart warm-up works better. In both cases, a free address like gmail.com can't join Smart warm-up: the warm-up pool only accepts mailboxes on your own domain.
Does Gojiberry read or move my other emails?
Gojiberry reads your Inbox and Sent folders to show your conversations and detect replies. It only moves emails when you archive or delete them from the Gojiberry Inbox, and it moves the warm-up emails it sent itself into the "Gojiberry warm-up" folder. Everything else stays where it is.
Why is there a "Gojiberry warm-up" folder in my mailbox?
That's where Smart warm-up files its emails, so they don't clutter your Inbox or Sent folder. Don't delete them or mark them as spam: that would undo the reputation they build. To stop warm-up, uncheck Smart warm-up in the mailbox's Settings & Limits and save.
My mailbox was connected before Smart warm-up was available for IMAP. How do I turn it on?
Open the mailbox's Settings & Limits, check Smart warm-up and save. It's available as long as the address is on your own domain.
Why do my replies from the Gojiberry Inbox show only my email address?
For now, replies written in the Gojiberry Inbox from an IMAP / SMTP mailbox are sent without the sender name. Campaign emails always use it.
ℹ️ IMAP / SMTP is in Beta
It works with any provider, but providers don't all behave the same way. If something looks off with yours, tell us through the in-app chat: your feedback helps us improve it.
Still have a question? Open the chat bubble in the bottom-right corner of Gojiberry and our team will be happy to help.