Here’s a detailed step-by-step guide to setting up an IMAP email account in Thunderbird (2025).
What you’ll need first
Before you begin, make sure you have:
- Your full email address (e.g.
you@yourdomain.com). - The password for that email.
- Incoming mail server (IMAP) settings: the hostname, port, security mode (SSL/TLS etc.).
- Outgoing mail server (SMTP) settings: same type of info (hostname, port, security).
- (Optional but helpful) If your provider uses special authentication (OAuth2 etc.) or if two-factor is enabled.
If you don’t know the server settings, you may find them in your Space WWW user area .
Step-by-Step Setup in Thunderbird
1. Open Thunderbird and start adding a new account
- Launch Thunderbird.
- If this is the first account you’re adding, it might prompt you right away to set up an account. If not: go to the Thunderbird menu (≡) → Settings → Account Settings, or look for “Account Actions” → “Add Mail Account”.
- Alternatively: File → New → Existing Mail Account (or something similar depending on your OS version) to start adding an email.
2. Enter your basic info
You’ll be prompted for:
- Your name (this is what recipients will see in the “From” field)
- Your email address
- Your email account password
There should also be an option like “Remember password” so you don’t have to enter it every time.
3. Switch to manual configuration (if necessary)
Thunderbird often tries to auto-detect the settings. That sometimes works, sometimes not. If you need control (or the automatic detection fails), choose “Manual config” or “Configure manually”.
4. Fill in the IMAP (incoming) settings
Here are the fields you’ll need to fill in (the exact names may differ slightly):
| Field | What to enter |
|---|---|
| Protocol | IMAP (remote folders) |
| Incoming server / Hostname | e.g. imap.yourprovider.com or whatever your provider specifies. |
| Port | Usually 993 when using SSL/TLS; sometimes 143 if using non-encrypted or STARTTLS |
| Connection Security | SSL/TLS (or STARTTLS if that is what your provider uses). Avoid “None” unless there’s no other option and you trust the network. |
| Authentication method | Usually “Normal password” or “Encrypted password” or “OAuth2” if supported. |
| Username | Often the full email address, but some providers use only the part before the “@”. Check your provider. |
5. Fill in the SMTP (outgoing) settings
Similarly, for sending mail:
| Field | What to enter |
|---|---|
| Outgoing server / Hostname | e.g. smtp.yourprovider.com |
| Port | Common ports are 465 (SSL/TLS) or 587 (STARTTLS). Some older services use port 25 (not recommended unless required). |
| Connection Security | SSL/TLS or STARTTLS (as per your provider) |
| Authentication method | Usually same as for incoming; often “Normal password” etc. Sometimes providers require OAuth2. |
| Username | Usually full email address (same as incoming) unless specified otherwise. |
6. Test the configuration
- Thunderbird has a “Re-test” or “Check settings” button in the manual config dialog. Use that to verify Thunderbird can connect to both the IMAP and SMTP servers with the data you entered.
- If connection fails, Thunderbird will show errors (wrong port, authentication rejected etc.). Double check hostname, port, password, username. Also check your provider’s documentation.
7. Finalize & finish
- Once testing succeeds, click Done or Create Account.
- Thunderbird will then download folder structure, sync the Inbox etc.
- If needed, you can go into Account Settings → Copies & Folders to set where Sent, Drafts, Trash should be stored (on server or locally).
- Also check Synchronization & Storage options if you want to cache messages locally etc.
Additional Tips / Troubleshooting
- If your provider uses two-factor authentication, you may need an “app-password” instead of your regular password.
- If automatic detection fails, try looking up your provider’s IMAP/SMTP settings (on their support site).
- If mails aren’t syncing (or not appearing), check the folder subscriptions (Thunderbird → Right-click on account → Manage Folder Subscriptions). Sometimes only Inbox is turned on by default.
- If outgoing mail doesn’t send, check the SMTP settings (correct port, authentication, SSL etc.).
- Make sure firewall or antivirus on your machine isn’t blocking the ports.
- For providers like Gmail / Outlook.com etc., often OAuth2 is used and you’ll get a browser window to authorize Thunderbird.