Apple Mail macOS - App Setup




Apple Mail email setup screen on macOS

Apple Mail for macOS – POP3 or IMAP Setup

Overview

This guide explains how to set up your email account in the built-in Apple Mail app on macOS. Apple Mail supports both POP3 and IMAP with SSL/TLS encryption.

Replace {YOUR-SERVER-ID} with the server ID shown in your welcome email (for example ez22), and use your full email address such as address@example.com.

POP3 vs IMAP – which should I choose?

  • POP3 (recommended if you want permanent local backups)
    • Downloads messages to your Mac and stores them indefinitely.
    • Uses less server disk space.
    • Ideal if you like to archive mail locally.
    • You can keep mail on the server for 7–14 days so other devices have time to download it.
  • IMAP (recommended for multi-device syncing)
    • Keeps mail on the server and syncs folders between your Mac, phone, and other devices.
    • Uses more server storage.
    • What you read, move, or delete on one device is mirrored on all others.

Note: Emails stored in your Inbox and Sent folders are automatically retained for 180 Days and other systems folders (Trash/Spam etc) are retained for 30 days to help manage disk usage. To keep messages longer, use POP3 to download your email and save a local copy or when using IMAP move messages into a custom folder such as “Saved Email”.

Mail server settings

Incoming mail (IMAP)

  • Server: {YOUR-SERVER-ID}.ourcontrolpanel.com
  • Port: 993
  • Security: SSL/TLS
  • Username: address@example.com
  • Password: Your email password

Incoming mail (POP3)

  • Server: {YOUR-SERVER-ID}.ourcontrolpanel.com
  • Port: 995
  • Security: SSL/TLS
  • Username: address@example.com
  • Password: Your email password

Outgoing mail (SMTP)

  • Server: {YOUR-SERVER-ID}.ourcontrolpanel.com
  • Port: 465
  • Security: SSL/TLS
  • Authentication: Required
  • Username: address@example.com
  • Password: Your email password

Step 1 – Open Apple Mail and start adding an account

  1. Open the Mail app on your Mac.
  2. In the menu bar, click Mail > Add Account…
  3. When prompted to choose a mail account provider, click Other Mail Account… and then click Continue.

Step 2 – Enter your basic account information

  • Name: Your name (this appears in the “From” line)
  • Email Address: address@example.com
  • Password: Your email password

Click Sign In. Mail will attempt to look up settings and then display additional fields.

Step 3 – Choose POP or IMAP and enter server settings

When the advanced settings screen appears:

  • Set Account Type to either IMAP or POP:
    • IMAP – for syncing across multiple devices.
    • POP – for downloading and archiving mail on your Mac.
  • Incoming Mail Server: {YOUR-SERVER-ID}.ourcontrolpanel.com
  • Outgoing Mail Server (SMTP): {YOUR-SERVER-ID}.ourcontrolpanel.com

Click Sign In or Next to continue.

Step 4 – Verify advanced settings (ports and SSL)

After the account is created, you can double-check the port and SSL settings:

  1. Open Mail.
  2. Click Mail > Settings… (or Preferences… on older macOS versions).
  3. Select the Accounts tab.
  4. Select your new account in the left column.

Incoming (Server Settings tab)

  • Incoming server: {YOUR-SERVER-ID}.ourcontrolpanel.com
  • Port: 993 for IMAP, 995 for POP3
  • Use TLS/SSL: enabled
  • Authentication: Password

Outgoing (SMTP)

  • Click Outgoing Mail Server (SMTP) → Edit SMTP Server List…
  • Check:
    • Server Name: {YOUR-SERVER-ID}.ourcontrolpanel.com
    • Port: 465
    • Use TLS/SSL: enabled
    • Authentication: Password
    • Username: address@example.com

Step 5 – POP3 users: control how long mail stays on the server

If you chose POP as the account type:

  1. In the Accounts settings, select your POP account.
  2. Go to the Advanced tab.
  3. Under Remove copy from server after retrieving a message, choose:
    • After 7 days or After 14 days (recommended), or
    • Immediately if this Mac is your only device.

This setting lets other devices download new messages while still cleaning up your server storage after a short delay.

Step 6 – Test your account

  • Close the settings window to return to Mail.
  • Send a test email to your own address and confirm that it appears in your Inbox.
  • If you are using multiple devices, test that new mail is available on each within the 7–14 day window.

Troubleshooting

  • Cannot verify server identity: Confirm that the server is {YOUR-SERVER-ID}.ourcontrolpanel.com and choose Continue to trust it.
  • Can receive but not send: Check the SMTP port (465) and that TLS/SSL and authentication are enabled.
  • Repeated password prompts: Re-enter your email password in both incoming and outgoing server settings, or reset it in your hosting/email control panel.
  • Mailbox full / quota warnings: POP3 helps reduce server usage; IMAP users may need to archive old mail to local folders or increase mailbox size.