How to set up an IMAP email account on your iPhone or iPad

This guide assumes you have already created an email account in cPanel. Setting up IMAP on your iPhone or iPad keeps your messages synchronised across every device you use - unlike POP, which downloads emails to a single device, IMAP leaves everything on the server so any action you take on one device is reflected on your laptop, tablet, and in Webmail.

Get your IMAP connection details from cPanel

Before configuring your device, collect the server settings from cPanel.

1. Log in to cPanel.
2. In the Email section, click Email Accounts.
3. Find the email account you want to set up, then click Connect Devices next to it.
4. Under Mail Client Manual Settings, note the IMAP and SMTP server details - hostnames, ports, and SSL settings. You will also need the password you set when you created the account.

The typical settings are:

If you have forgotten your email password, go back to Email Accounts, click Manage next to the account, and set a new password there. Note that this is the password for the email account itself, which is not the same as your cPanel password.

Set up IMAP email on your iPhone or iPad

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Scroll down and tap Apps, then tap Mail.
3. Tap Mail Accounts, then tap Add Account.
4. Tap Other, then tap Add Mail Account.
5. Fill in your Name, Email address, Password, and a Description for the account (the description can be anything you like), then tap Next.
6. Make sure IMAP is selected at the top of the screen.
7. Under Incoming Mail Server, enter:
   • Host Name - the hostname from cPanel (typically mail.yourdomain.com)
   • User Name - your full email address
   • Password - your email account password
8. Under Outgoing Mail Server, enter the same hostname, username, and password. Although iOS labels these fields as optional, they are required on our servers - you must complete them to be able to send email.
9. Tap Next. Your device will verify the settings, which can take a moment.
10. Tap Save. Your account will appear in the Mail Accounts list.

Check it is working

Open the Mail app and select the account you just added. Your messages should begin to download. To confirm everything works in both directions, send yourself a test message from another address and reply to it - if both arrive, your account is set up correctly.

Troubleshooting

• Incorrect username or password - make sure you are using your full email address as the username, not just the part before the @. If the password is rejected, check you are using the email account's own password and not your cPanel password; you can reset the email password in cPanel under Email Accounts > Manage if you are unsure.
• Cannot connect, or a certificate warning appears - check that SSL is enabled and that you are using port 993 for IMAP and port 465 for SMTP. A certificate warning usually means the hostname does not match exactly what cPanel's Connect Devices page shows, so check it character for character.
• Receives mail but cannot send - this is almost always the outgoing (SMTP) server settings. Confirm the hostname, your full email address, and your password are all filled in under the outgoing server, with SSL enabled on port 465. You can check these after setup under Settings > Apps > Mail > Mail Accounts, tapping the account, then Account > SMTP.

If you have worked through these and are still stuck, open a support ticket with the exact error message shown and we will help you get it working.