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Adding an IMAP Email Account to Gmail – Desktop and Mobile Guide

Adding an IMAP Email Account to Gmail – Desktop and Mobile Guide

If you host your own email (for example, [email protected]) but prefer Gmail's interface, you can pull all your messages into a single Gmail inbox using IMAP. Gmail acts as a client, fetching mail from your mail server while letting you send as your custom address. This guide walks through the full setup on both desktop and mobile.

What You'll Need Before You Start

  • Your full email address (e.g. [email protected])
  • Your email password
  • Your IMAP server hostname (e.g. mail.yourdomain.com)
  • Your SMTP server hostname (for sending — often the same as IMAP)
  • The correct ports — typically IMAP: 993 (SSL) and SMTP: 587 (STARTTLS) or 465 (SSL)

These details are available from your hosting provider or in your control panel (cPanel, Plesk, etc.). If you're an Entexion customer, you'll find them under Email Accounts in your dashboard.

Desktop: Setting Up in Gmail on the Web

Step 1 — Open Gmail Settings

In Gmail on the web, click the gear icon (⚙) in the top-right corner and select See all settings. Navigate to the Accounts and Import tab.

Step 2 — Add a Mail Account

Find the section labelled Check mail from other accounts and click Add a mail account. Enter your full email address (e.g. [email protected]) and click Next.

Step 3 — Select Import Method

Choose Import emails from my other account (POP3) and click Next. On the following screen, fill in your incoming mail server details:

  • Username: your full email address
  • Password: your email password
  • POP Server: mail.yourdomain.com (use your host's mail hostname)
  • Port: 995
  • Tick Always use a secure connection (SSL)
  • Optionally tick Leave a copy of retrieved messages on the server if you access the account elsewhere

Click Add Account. Gmail will verify the credentials and begin syncing your inbox in the background.

Step 4 — Enable Sending as Your Custom Address

Gmail will immediately ask if you want to send mail as this address. Click Yes and enter a display name. On the next screen, provide your SMTP details:

  • SMTP Server: mail.yourdomain.com
  • Port: 587 (recommended, STARTTLS) or 465 (SSL)
  • Username: your full email address
  • Password: your email password
  • Select Secured connection using TLS

Click Add Account. Gmail will send a verification email to your address — fetch it from your newly added inbox and enter the code (or click the link) to confirm. Once verified, you can select your custom address from the From dropdown when composing.

Step 5 — Set as Default Sender (Optional)

In Settings → Accounts and Import → Send mail as, click make default next to your custom address if you want Gmail to use it automatically for all new messages.

Mobile: Android Setup via the Gmail App

  1. Open the Gmail app and tap your profile picture in the top-right corner.
  2. Tap Add another account.
  3. Select Other from the account type list.
  4. Enter your full email address and tap Next.
  5. Select Personal (IMAP) when prompted for account type.
  6. Enter your email password and tap Next.
  7. Fill in the incoming server settings:
    • IMAP Server: mail.yourdomain.com
    • Port: 993
    • Security type: SSL/TLS
    Tap Next.
  8. Fill in the outgoing (SMTP) server settings:
    • SMTP Server: mail.yourdomain.com
    • Port: 587
    • Security type: STARTTLS
    • Username and Password: your full email address and password
    Tap Next.
  9. Set your sync frequency and notification preferences, give the account a display name, and tap Done.

Your custom email account will now appear alongside your Gmail accounts in the app and sync automatically in the background.

Mobile: iPhone and iPad Setup

Option A — Gmail App for iOS (Recommended)

The setup flow is identical to Android above. Open the Gmail app → tap your profile picture → Add another account → Other → follow the IMAP setup steps.

Option B — Apple Mail App

  1. Go to Settings → Mail → Accounts → Add Account → Other → Add Mail Account.
  2. Enter your name, full email address, password, and a description, then tap Next.
  3. Make sure IMAP is selected at the top of the following screen.
  4. Under Incoming Mail Server: enter mail.yourdomain.com as the hostname, plus your username and password.
  5. Under Outgoing Mail Server: enter the same hostname, username, and password.
  6. Tap Next. iOS will verify the connection automatically and save the account.

The account will appear in Apple Mail. If you also want it in the Gmail app, add it there separately using Option A.

Troubleshooting Common Issues

"Authentication failed" or "Wrong password"

Ensure the username is your full email address, not just the local part before the @. If your hosting provider has two-factor authentication or app-specific passwords enabled on the mailbox, generate the appropriate credential from your control panel rather than using your main account password.

SSL certificate errors

This usually means the mail hostname doesn't match the SSL certificate. Use your hosting provider's server hostname for the mail settings (e.g. server123.hostingprovider.com) rather than your own domain — your host's documentation will specify the correct hostname. Alternatively, ensure a valid SSL certificate is installed for your mail domain.

Gmail not fetching new messages promptly

Gmail polls external accounts at intervals that can be up to 60 minutes on free accounts. For near-instant delivery, configure a forwarding rule on your mail server to forward incoming messages to your Gmail address — this pushes mail in real time while the IMAP/POP connection handles sent mail and folder access.

Replies going from the wrong address

In Gmail Settings → Accounts and Import → Send mail as, select Reply from the same address the message was sent to. This ensures replies to emails sent to your custom domain use that address rather than your main Gmail address.

Sent messages not syncing to the mail server's Sent folder

When sending via Gmail's SMTP, sent messages are stored in Gmail's Sent folder rather than on your mail server. If you need them on the server (for access from other clients), configure your mail client to also save a copy to the IMAP Sent folder, or set up a BCC rule to your custom address.

Security Best Practices

Storing mail credentials inside Gmail means they're held by Google. Use a strong, unique password for your mailbox — separate from your hosting control panel password — and enable two-factor authentication on your Google account. Consider creating a dedicated mailbox password rather than reusing your main account password; most control panels let you set per-mailbox passwords independently.

If you need help locating your IMAP and SMTP settings, or if you're setting up email hosting for a new domain, get in touch with the Entexion team — we're happy to help.