How to Configure Support Email Addresses in BoldDesk

This article explains how built-in (default) and connected (custom) support email addresses work in BoldDesk, how to configure them, and how email forwarding and ticket creation operate. Each section is self‑contained for easy retrieval and query accuracy.

How Email-to-Ticket Processing Works

BoldDesk creates tickets from emails sent to a support address {built-in (default) or connected (custom)}. When enabled, each new email becomes a ticket, and the sender is set as the requester. Any replies from the requester or agent are automatically added to the same ticket thread, ensuring all communication stays in one place. Explore How to Convert Emails to Tickets in BoldDesk.

Where to View and Manage Support Email Addresses

You can access all configured support email addresses through:

Admin → Email

This section lists:

Built-in support email and connected support email account
Forwarding status
Email verification status
Ticket creation settings

How to Configure Built-in Email Setup Type

A built-in email setup type (default support email) uses BoldDesk’s built‑in mail server. Follow the steps below to add a built-in support email

Log in to BoldDesk and navigate to Admin.
Under Channels, select Emails.
Click Add Email.
Enter:
- Brand
- Category (Optional)
- Email Setup Type
Set Email Setup Type → Use built-in Email (Recommended) and click on next.
Provide the following mandatory information and then click on Add.
- Display Name - Name specified here will be used as a display name for email sent through the portal.
- Email Address

Default BoldDesk support email will be automatically verified, and each email sent to this email will be converted to a ticket automatically.

How to Connect a Support Email Account (Custom Support Email) Setup Type

Connected support email accounts allow organizations to use familiar, branded email addresses (multiple departments, brands, domains) such as: [email protected], [email protected] or [email protected]. Follow the steps below to Add a Custom Support Email

Go to Admin → Emails.
Click Add Email, then enter the following details:
- Brand
- Category (Optional)
Choose your Email Setup Type as Connect a support email account.

If you choose to Connect a support email account, BoldDesk will connect directly to your email provider. The selected provider will be used for both incoming and outgoing emails. This is ideal when your organization requires using your own SMTP for sending replies and/or your own IMAP to fetch incoming emails (instead of forwarding).

Choose your Email Usage Type from the following options.

Email Usage Type	Description
Incoming and Outgoing Emails	This option enables the system to both receive emails (incoming) and send emails (outgoing). It is used when the application needs full email functionality such as reading messages (for instance, support tickets) and sending replies or notifications.
Incoming Emails Only	This option allows the system to only receive emails. It can read or fetch incoming messages from an email server, but it cannot send emails out. This is useful for scenarios like collecting customer queries without sending responses automatically.
Outgoing Emails Only	This option allows the system to only send emails. It can send notifications, alerts, or updates, but it cannot receive or process incoming messages. Commonly used for systems that only need to push information to users.

Select the preferred Email Provider. You can choose from BoldDesk, Microsoft 365 or Custom.
Click next and provide a display name and the email address.
Click on Add.
Complete the verification and finish setup:
- If you choose BoldDesk email provider for both incoming and outgoing emails, you will be required to configure email forwarding. Explore How to Forward and Verify Emails in BoldDesk.
- If you choose Microsoft 365, you will be prompted to sign in. Choose the import settings as whether to retrieve emails from previous day or to skip existing emails. You will then be required to configure incoming email configuration. Explore Configuring Support Email using IMAP with Microsoft OAuth in BoldDesk.
- If you selected Custom, complete SMTP/IMAP configuration and verify the connection. Explore How to Configure a Custom SMTP Server for Outbound Emails for Outbound Email Configuration and How to Configure IMAP in BoldDesk for Email Syncing for Incoming Email Configuration.

Some providers require SMTP authentication to be enabled, an app password (common with Microsoft/Google accounts), or allowlisting/approval before they permit SMTP connections.
For custom support emails, you should enable email forwarding and verify it. Learn on How to Forward and Verify Emails in BoldDesk.
You can also configure the DKIM to authenticate emails sent from these domains. Explore more on How to Setup DKIM for BoldDesk.

Disable Ticket Creation Via Support Email

If you don’t want emails sent to the configured support address to create or update tickets, you can enable the Disable Ticket Creation option. This stops ticket creation and updates via email. Only email notifications will be sent, and any replies won’t be added to the ticket. Explore more on How to Turn off the ticket creation from email.

Delete Support Email

The support email can be deleted; however, this action is irreversible. Learn more on How to Delete the Default BoldDesk Support Email.

Troubleshooting

Support Email Shows Expired or Cannot Be Reauthenticated (Custom SMTP)

If a support email is configured using the Custom SMTP method, the Reauthenticate option may not be available in BoldDesk. This is expected behavior for Custom SMTP configurations.

If the support email status appears as Expired, it usually indicates that the app password used for SMTP authentication has expired.

Resolution Steps

Generate a new app password from your email mailbox or security settings.
In BoldDesk, navigate to Admin → Emails.
Locate the affected support email and click Edit.
Update the App Password with the newly generated value.
Click Save to apply the changes.

After saving, BoldDesk will resume sending and receiving emails using the updated SMTP credentials.

Frequently Asked Questions

If I set up [email protected] but do not enable email forwarding, will BoldDesk create tickets from emails sent to that address?
No. If forwarding is not enabled for a custom support email, BoldDesk will not receive the email, so tickets will not be created or updated from emails sent to that connected support email account.
Can I stop a specific support email address from creating new tickets?
Yes. Enable Disable Ticket Creation for that support email configuration.
Can I use multiple support email addresses for different brands or departments?
Yes. BoldDesk supports multiple support email addresses, including default BoldDesk emails and custom domain emails. Support emails can be used across brands, domains, and categories/departments. Availability and limits depend on the BoldDesk subscription plan.
Do I have to configure DKIM for a custom domain support email?
DKIM is not mandatory, but BoldDesk supports DKIM setup for domain authentication. Explore How to Setup DKIM for BoldDesk.
If I delete a support email address, can I restore it later?
No. Deleting a support email address is permanent. To use it again, the support email address must be added and configured again.

Was this article useful?

Dislike

Comments (0)