Settings to Configure Your 1-grid Email Accounts Across Devices

Find the correct IMAP, POP and SMTP settings for configuring your 1-grid email accounts across devices.

To set up your email account in an email client (like Outlook, Apple Mail, Thunderbird, or your mobile app), you’ll need the correct incoming and outgoing server settings. These details ensure your account connects to 1-grid’s mail servers securely and reliably, allowing you to send and receive email outside of Webmail. 

IMAP vs POP: Which One to Use

When hosting your emails with 1-grid, it is important to consider which settings are right for you, understand how they work, and how to configure these settings in your preferred email client.

IMAP is preferred over POP because it empowers you to access and manage your emails in real-time from any device, as messages are stored on a remote server, ensuring your entire email history, folders, and read/unread status are perfectly synchronised everywhere. This eliminates the hassle of lost messages and inconsistencies when switching devices, making it ideal for the modern, multi-device world by keeping your digital life synchronised and accessible. 

Here’s Why IMAP is Empowering

• Universal Accessibility: Your emails stay on the server, not just on one device, allowing you to check them from your work laptop, phone, tablet, or any other computer seamlessly.  
• Real-Time Sync: Any change you make like reading an email, creating a folder, or deleting a message is instantly reflected across all your devices and webmail.  
• Unified Experience: Your mail structure and content remain identical no matter which device you use, creating a consistent and organised email environment.  
• Centralised Backup: Your emails are backed up on the server, protecting them if your local device is lost, stolen, or damaged.  
• Future-Proof: IMAP’s “in the cloud” approach aligns with modern connectivity, making it the modern standard for managing email in an always-on world. 

Here’s Why POP is Limiting

• Device-Dependent: POP downloads emails to a single device and typically deletes them from the server, locking your messages to that one computer.  
• No Sync: Messages are not shared between devices, leading to messages appearing to “disappear” when you check from another location.  
• Vulnerability: If the device holding your emails is lost or corrupted, your entire message history can be lost.

Incoming Server Settings (IMAP / POP)

Protocol	Hostname	Port	Encryption	Username	Notes
IMAP	mail.yourdomain.com (or 1-grid’s mail host)	993	SSL/TLS (IMAP over SSL)	yourname@domain.com	Use SSL/TLS
POP	mail.yourdomain.com	995	SSL/TLS	yourname@domain.com	Download-only style

Outgoing Server (SMTP) Settings

Setting	Value
Hostname	mail.yourdomain.com (or 1-grid SMTP)
Port	465 or 587
Encryption	SSL or TLS
Authentication	Required; same username and password as incoming

IMPORTANT: Replace yourdomain.com with your actual domain or replace mail.yourdomain.com with 1-grid’s mail host server address.

Secure Your Email Access with SSL/TLS

SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) and TLS (Transport Layer Security) are both protocols that encrypt your email communication during transfer. This prevents eavesdropping, data interception and protects your login credentials and sensitive information.

How to Configure Your Email Client

To set up secure email access, launch your preferred email client such as Microsoft Outlook, Thunderbird, Apple Mail, or a mobile app, and access its settings.

1. Setting Up Email on Outlook (Windows and Mac)

Configuration Steps

1. Open Outlook and go to File > Account Settings.
2. Click New and select Manual Setup or Additional Server Types.
3. Choose IMAP or POP3.
4. Enter your Incoming Mail Server and Outgoing Mail Server (SMTP) details.
5. Under More Settings, go to the Outgoing Server tab and check My outgoing server (SMTP) requires authentication.
6. In the Advanced tab:
   • For IMAP, use port 993 (SSL/TLS) or 143 (TLS/STARTTLS).
   • For POP3, use port 995 (SSL/TLS) or 110 (TLS/STARTTLS).
   • For SMTP, use port 465 (SSL) or 587 (TLS/STARTTLS).
7. Click Next, enter your email password, and complete the setup.

2. Setting Up Email on Apple Mail (Mac, iPhone, iPad)

Configuration Steps on macOS:

1. Open Mail > Preferences > Accounts.
2. Click + to add a new account.
3. Select Other Mail Account and enter your email address and password.
4. Choose IMAP or POP3 and enter the server settings.
5. Under Outgoing Mail Server (SMTP), enable authentication and use the correct port.
6. Click Save and test your email connection.

Configuration Steps on iOS (iPhone/iPad):

1. Go to Settings > Mail > Accounts.
2. Tap Add Account and select Other.
3. Enter your email credentials and server settings.
4. Set up IMAP or POP3 and configure SMTP for sending emails.
5. Save your settings and test by sending an email.

3. Setting Up Email on Thunderbird (Windows, Mac, Linux)

Configuration Steps

1. Open Thunderbird and go to Account Settings.
2. Click Account Actions > Add Mail Account.
3. Enter your name, email address, and password.
4. Choose Manual Config and enter IMAP, POP3, and SMTP details.
5. Ensure SSL/TLS encryption is enabled.
6. Click Done to complete the setup.

4. Setting Up Email on Android

Configuration Steps

1. Select your Mail icon on your mobile device. 
2. Enter your email address and password. 
3. Choose Manual Setup and select your preferred setting as an IMAP or POP3 Account. 
4. Enter the applicable IMAP, POP3, and SMTP settings and details. 
5. Ensure SSL/TLS encryption is enabled. 
6. Click Done to complete the setup. 
7. Test by sending an email and asking someone to send you an email. 

Troubleshooting Common Issues

1. Cannot Connect to Mail Server

• Ensure you entered the correct server address and ports.
• Check your internet connection.
• Verify if your email provider has service outages.
• Ensure your firewall or antivirus software is not blocking the connection.

2. Outgoing Emails Are Not Sending

• Make sure SMTP authentication is enabled.
• Use port 587 (TLS/STARTTLS) instead of port 25.
• Check if your ISP is blocking SMTP traffic.
• Check your server’s storage space.

3. Password Incorrect or Authentication Failed

• Reset your email password if necessary.
• Enable Allow Less Secure Apps (for some email providers like Gmail and Yahoo).
• Use App Passwords if 2FA (Two-Factor Authentication) is enabled.

Security Best Practices 

• Use SSL/TLS for all connections. 
• Use a strong, unique password. 
• Enable 2FA for the account where possible (if supported). 
• Regularly audit and remove unused devices. 

If It Still Doesn’t Work 

• Double-check DNS (MX / A / Mail record) for your domain. 
• Reach out to our Support Team and provide us with the full error messages and screenshots. 

Additional Resources 

Email Setup How-Tos
Troubleshooting Steps for Email
Top 10 Common Email Issues!   
SpamTitan FAQs 
MailChannels FAQs 

Need Additional Support? 

We’re Here to Help: 

Setting up your emails doesn’t have to be tricky with this easy-to-use guide. Stuck? Contact our Support Team for help (https://1grid.co.za/contact-us/). We’re ready to see how we can help!