Setting up your email on your devices
Your practice email works on every phone, tablet and desktop mail app. You just need five settings — and to pick IMAP, not POP.
Your practice mailbox is a standard IMAP account, so it works in Apple Mail, Gmail, Outlook, Thunderbird and every phone made in the last decade. You need five values — and one important choice at the start.
The settings you need
These are the values for a standard mailbox we host. If we have sent you a setup sheet, use the values on it — they take priority.
| Email address | Your full address, e.g. you@yourpractice.com |
|---|---|
| Username | The full email address, not just the part before the @. This is the single most common mistake. |
| Password | Your mailbox password. Not your computer login, and not your EHR password. |
| Incoming (IMAP) | mail.yourpractice.com · port 993 · SSL/TLS on |
| Outgoing (SMTP) | mail.yourpractice.com · port 587 · STARTTLS on · authentication required |
iPhone and iPad
Open Settings
Go to Settings → Apps → Mail → Mail Accounts → Add Account. On older iOS this is Settings → Mail → Accounts → Add Account.
Choose Other
Do not pick Google or Outlook — those are for accounts hosted by those companies. Tap Other, then Add Mail Account.
Enter your details
Name, full email address, password, and a description like “Practice”. Tap Next and let it try.
Pick IMAP and fill in the servers
Select the IMAP tab. Enter the incoming and outgoing host names from the table above. Use your full email address as the username in both boxes.
Save
Verification takes a few seconds. If it fails, re-check the username is the full address and the outgoing password is filled in.
Android
Android varies by manufacturer, but the shape is the same. In Gmail: Menu → Settings → Add account → Other. Enter your address, tap Manual setup, and choose Personal (IMAP). Enter the servers from the table. Samsung Email and Outlook for Android follow the same path — the key is always to choose “Other” and then manual/IMAP setup rather than letting it guess.
Outlook on Windows or Mac
Add the account
File → Add Account, type your email address, then click Advanced options and tick Let me set up my account manually before continuing.
Choose IMAP
Pick IMAP from the account-type list.
Enter both servers
Incoming
993/SSL, outgoing587/STARTTLS. Outlook asks for the password once and applies it to both.Let it sync
The first sync can take several minutes on a large mailbox. Leave it running before judging whether it worked.
Troubleshooting
| “Cannot verify account” | Nearly always the username. Use the full email address, not the part before the @. |
|---|---|
| Receives but will not send | Outgoing authentication is off or has no password. Turn it on and re-enter the password. |
| Certificate warning | The server name is slightly wrong, or the client fell back to a non-SSL port. Re-check the host name and that ports are 993 and 587. |
| Password rejected on one device only | An old saved password. Delete the account from that device and re-add it rather than editing it. |
| Old mail missing on a new phone | The account was previously set up as POP somewhere and mail was pulled off the server. Contact us before deleting anything. |
FAQ
Can I use the same mailbox on my phone and my computer?
Yes — that is exactly what IMAP is for. Read a message on your phone and it shows as read on your desktop. There is no device limit.
Do I need to change these settings when we redesign the website?
No. Website changes and email are independent. The one thing that can affect mail is a change to your domain’s DNS records, which we handle carefully for exactly this reason — see Understanding your DNS.
Is it safe to check practice email on a personal phone?
It can be, but treat it as a device that holds patient information: a screen lock, an up-to-date OS, and remote-wipe enabled. Add it to your offboarding checklist so access is removed when someone leaves — see Onboarding and offboarding.