Quick Setup Guide: IMAP

Add your email address to an email client application

Here is our quick guide to help you set up your existing email address to your favorite email client on desktop, tablet or smartphone. This guide applies for both Basic and Enhanced email hosting services, when you set them up as an IMAP account.

You can synchronize your mailbox through multiple devices, such as smartphones and tablets, using your favorite e-mail app. You can use any e-mail app available on your device, including the native email app.

If you have an Enhanced account, you can use ActiveSync to not only sync e-mails, but also contacts and calendar. Follow this guide to set up your Enhanced email as an ActiveSync account.

To setup your email account as an IMAP account in a new email client, follow these steps to add the email account to your preferred email application on desktop, smartphone or tablet (Outlook, Apple Mail, Thunderbird, Android Mail, etc.).

Step 0: Sign up and create the email address

The first step is to sign up for a PolarisMail email hosting service and add the necessary number of accounts, Basic or Enhanced to your subscription, using the Billing Panel.

You don’t have an account yet? See the benefits of a professional email service and sign up for a free trial.

After you sign up, login to the Admin Control Panel and create the desired email address.

Follow this guide to create an email address using your own domain or this guide to create an email using @polarismail.net, our free domain.

Step 1: Open the email client and add a new Email Account

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IMAP is recommended rather than POP, because it’s a protocol made to support several devices accessing one same account, with all folders synced on our server, which also guarantees that our backups will be executed.

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You can use the IMAP protocol to add your email address to other devices, such as printers, generators, surveillance cameras, etc.

Here is an example configuration for Outlook 365:

PolarisMail email setup example in Office 365 - Step 1 - fill in your email address

PolarisMail email setup example in Office 365 - Step 2 - select IMAP as account type

PolarisMail email setup example in Office 365 - Step 3 - fill in the account server settings

PolarisMail email setup example in Office 365 - Step 4 - fill in the existing password for your email address

PolarisMail email setup example in Office 365 - Step 5 - setup completed

Example configuration for Apple Mail:

Add Account – use Other for IMAP

Apple Mail - Add Account - fill in your existing email address, password and name

Add Account – fill in your existing email address, password and the desired display name

Apple Mail - Add Account - fill in advanced setup details (incoming and outgoing mail server and your email password)

Add Account – fill in the advanced setup details (incoming and outgoing mail server and your email password)

Add Account – choose to sync your mail

Apple Mail - Verify Account - IMAP settings - use SSL, auhtenticate with password and set IMAP server port to 993

Verify the Account settings – IMAP settings – use SSL, authenticate with password and set IMAP server port to 993

Apple Mail - Verify Account - SMTP settings - use SSL, auhtenticate with password and set SMTP server port to 465

Verify Account – SMTP settings – use SSL, authenticate with password and set SMTP server port to 465

Here is an example configuration for Outlook 2013:

1. In your email application, click on the button Add account and select a new account of type IMAP.

2. Select Manual Setup or Advanced Setup.

3. Fill in the server details for:

User information

Name: the name that will be displayed in emails as “From”. It can be your full name, the name of the Company, etc.
Email Address: your full email address, for example john.doe@polarismail.net or john.doe@mydomain.com.

Server details

Incoming server: imap.emailarray.com
Incoming server port: 993
Incoming server type of encryption: SSL

Outgoing server: smtp.emailarray.com
Outgoing server port: 465
Outgoing server type of encryption: SSL
Check the option for SMTP requires authentication (sometimes referred to as “My server requires SMTP authentication”).

Login information

User Name / Email address / Username: your full email address
Password: your email address password

4. Click the Finish button to complete the set up

5. Send a test mail 🙂

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If you want to use other ports or protocols, you can use any of these server details. For Cummings generators or for a device that doesn’t support SSL, you can use the ports for no encryption.

User:	Your full email address (e.g.: username@polarismail.net)
Password:	Your e-mail password
Server details:	Server address	Recommended Port (SSL)	Optional Port (no Encryption and TLS)
IMAP	imap.emailarray.com	993	143
SMTP	smtp.emailarray.com	465	25,26,587
POP3	pop.emailarray.com	995	110

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To be able to send emails, always check the option to “Require authentication” (sometimes referred to as “My server requires SMTP authentication”).

Getting help

Switching to a new e-mail provider can be intimidating. That’s why our Support Team is here to answer your questions.

To setup your new mailbox you can browse our FAQs and Wiki guide or you can talk to our Support Team through chat or ticketing system. Also, our Support Team can help you move your previous mailbox, contacts and calendar to your new one.