You can connect your business email account to BoldDesk using IMAP. Once configured, emails sent to your support mailbox are automatically converted into tickets, enabling your team to manage customer requests from a single platform.

Follow the steps below to configure a custom email account using IMAP.

Check out this video tutorial for more details.

Configure a Custom Email Account

Step 1. Open the Email Configuration Page

1. Navigate to Admin → Emails.

2. Under the Support Emails tab, click Add Email.
   

   
   
   

Step 2. Configure the Basic Settings

On the Basic page:

1. Select the Brand to which incoming tickets should be assigned.

2. Optionally, select a Category to automatically assign tickets created from emails to a specific category.

3. Under Email Setup Type, select Connect a support email account.

4. Under Email Usage Type, choose how the email account will be used:

   • Incoming and outgoing emails
   • Incoming emails only
   • Outgoing emails only (if applicable)

5. Under Email Provider, select Custom.

6. Click Next.
   

   
   
   

Step 3. Configure the Server Settings

On the Server page, provide the details for your custom email account.

General Information

1. Enter the Display Name that will appear on emails sent from BoldDesk.
2. Enter the Email Address that customers use to contact your support team.

Configure Incoming Emails (IMAP)

1. Under Incoming Emails, ensure the Email Provider is set to Custom.
2. Provide the following IMAP settings:
   • Server Name
   • Port Number
   • Authentication Type
   • Username
   • Password
3. Select Use SSL if required by your email provider.
4. Configure the email synchronization option:
   • Fetch emails from the last 24 hours – imports emails received within the previous 24 hours.
   • Ignore previous emails – synchronizes only new emails received after configuration.

Configure Outgoing Emails (SMTP)

1. Under Outgoing Emails, ensure the Email Provider is set to Custom.
2. Provide the following SMTP settings:
   • Server Name
   • Port Number
   • Authentication Type
   • Username
   • Password
3. Select Use SSL if required by your email provider.

Step 4. Save the Configuration

1. Review the entered information.

2. Click Add.

3. BoldDesk validates the configuration and adds the email account.

4. Once the verification is successful, the email address appears under the Support Emails list.
   

   
   
   

Shared Mailbox Authentication Requirements

To configure a mailbox for ticket retrieval via IMAP or a custom mail server, BoldDesk requires valid authentication credentials (such as a username/password or OAuth access) to establish the connection.

If the mailbox is a shared mailbox without its own login credentials, BoldDesk cannot connect to it directly using IMAP.

To enable mailbox integration, provide one of the following:

• A dedicated mailbox with IMAP enabled and valid login credentials
• A Microsoft 365 user account that has access to the shared mailbox and can be used for authentication
• Custom mail server connection details along with the required authentication credentials

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What should I do if the email account cannot be added?
   Verify the following:

   • The IMAP and SMTP server names are correct.
   • The port numbers match your email provider’s recommendations.
   • SSL settings are configured correctly.
   • The username and password are valid.
   • An app password is being used if MFA is enabled.

   If the issue persists, contact your email administrator or BoldDesk Support.

2. Which ports are commonly used for IMAP and SMTP?
   Common port configurations include:

Always refer to your email provider’s documentation for the recommended settings.

3. Why are new emails not appearing immediately?
   BoldDesk synchronizes connected mailboxes at scheduled intervals. As a result, there may be a short delay before new emails are converted into tickets.

4. Why are emails marked as read after synchronization?
   BoldDesk marks emails as read after processing them to prevent duplicate synchronization and ticket creation.

5. Can I import previously received emails?
   Yes. During configuration, select Fetch emails from the last 24 hours to import emails received within the previous 24 hours.