Connect a mailbox over IMAP
Use this for company email at your hosting provider (for example mail.yourcompany.com) and for Gmail, Yandex, Yahoo, iCloud or Zoho mailboxes. WardOps reads operations emails over IMAP and sends replies over SMTP. You need the email address and its password; most server settings fill in by themselves.
Before you start
- Which mailbox: the one your team runs shipments from, for example
ops@yourcompany.com. - Who can connect: a WardOps user with the Admin or Operations role.
- Password: your mailbox password for company email at a hosting provider. Gmail, Yandex, Yahoo and iCloud do not accept your normal password here; create an app password first (see below).
- Outlook, Hotmail or Microsoft 365: use Connect Outlook instead. See the Outlook setup guide.
Step 1: Open the IMAP form
In WardOps, go to Admin → Mailboxes and select Connect via IMAP.
Step 2: Enter the address and password
Type the email address. The server settings fill in from the address. For company email at a hosting provider, WardOps suggests mail.yourcompany.com, port 993 (SSL) for incoming mail and port 465 (SSL) for outgoing mail. Then enter the password or app password.
Step 3: Check the server settings
Most mailboxes work with the suggested settings. If your provider gives different values, for example in the email section of your hosting control panel, use theirs.
| Mailbox | Incoming (IMAP) | Outgoing (SMTP) | Password |
|---|---|---|---|
| Company email at a hosting provider | mail.yourcompany.com, 993 SSL | mail.yourcompany.com, 465 SSL | Mailbox password |
| Gmail | imap.gmail.com, 993 SSL | smtp.gmail.com, 465 SSL | App password |
| Yandex | imap.yandex.com, 993 SSL | smtp.yandex.com, 465 SSL | App password |
| Yahoo | imap.mail.yahoo.com, 993 SSL | smtp.mail.yahoo.com, 465 SSL | App password |
| iCloud | imap.mail.me.com, 993 SSL | smtp.mail.me.com, 587 STARTTLS | App-specific password |
| Zoho | imap.zoho.com, 993 SSL | smtp.zoho.com, 465 SSL | Password (IMAP must be turned on in Zoho) |
Leave Username empty unless your provider signs you in with something other than the email address.
Step 4: Connect and test
Select Connect and test. WardOps signs in to both servers before it saves anything. If both work, you see Mailbox connected and the mailbox is listed as Connected. The first sync reads the operations emails of the last 14 days; after that, new emails are picked up automatically.
Creating an app password
Menu names can differ slightly between accounts.
- Gmail: turn on 2-Step Verification, then open your Google Account → Security → App passwords. In company Google Workspace accounts your admin may have turned app passwords off; then use Connect Gmail.
- Yandex: Yandex ID → Security → App passwords → Mail.
- Yahoo: Account info → Account security → Generate app password.
- iCloud: Apple Account → Sign-In and Security → App-Specific Passwords (two-factor authentication must be on).
What WardOps does with your mailbox
- Opens the mailbox read-only: emails are not marked as read, moved or deleted.
- Opens only emails that look like operations mail: a shipping term or a container number in the subject or the first lines. Newsletters and personal emails are not downloaded.
- Sends replies and notices from this mailbox within the automation settings you choose, and saves a copy in your Sent folder.
- Stores the password encrypted. It is never shown in the app, and it is deleted when you disconnect.
Disconnect
In Admin → Mailboxes, select Disconnect. WardOps stops reading and sending right away and deletes the stored password. If you used an app password, you can also delete it in your email account's security settings.
Troubleshooting
| What you see | What to do |
|---|---|
| IMAP sign-in was refused | The password is wrong, or your provider needs an app password (see above). |
| Could not connect to the IMAP server | The server name or port is wrong. Check your provider's email settings. |
| SMTP sign-in was refused | Your provider may use different details for outgoing mail. Check the SMTP server, port and username. |
| Security must be SSL or STARTTLS | WardOps never sends a password over an unencrypted connection. Use port 993 (SSL) for IMAP and 465 (SSL) or 587 (STARTTLS) for SMTP. |
| For Outlook and Hotmail addresses, use "Connect Outlook" | Microsoft has turned off password sign-in over IMAP. Use the Outlook setup guide. |
Questions? Write to us at saturdayonlinesolutions@gmail.com.