Connect your first email account
Add a mailbox so Primail can fetch mail on this Mac. Passwords and sign-in tokens stay in the macOS Keychain. There is no Primail cloud that receives the mailbox.
Add an account
Section titled “Add an account”- Click Add Account at the bottom of the sidebar, or open Settings → Accounts and use Add an account.
- Enter the email address.
- Continue with the sign-in step that appears.
A provider-supported sign-in method is required. Primail opens browser sign-in when this app has that provider configured, or the host and password fields when the address uses that path.
A custom Google Workspace or Microsoft 365 domain that Primail does not recognize opens the host and password fields, not automatic provider sign-in.
Compatible sign-in
Section titled “Compatible sign-in”Sign-in needs both a method your provider still allows and this app’s matching configuration. If either is missing, that mailbox cannot be assumed to connect. A password form does not prove that the provider still accepts a password. Do not turn off the provider’s security settings to force a login.
Google. When browser sign-in is configured, use it. Google app passwords require 2-Step Verification and are not available on every account. Work, school, organization, Advanced Protection, and security-key-only setups are common limits. An app password is not a reason to turn off 2-Step Verification.
Microsoft. When browser sign-in is configured, use it. Exchange Online has disabled IMAP basic authentication for all tenants. An app password is not a supported replacement for configured OAuth on Exchange Online. That Exchange Online rule is not a statement about every other Microsoft product.
iCloud. iCloud uses the password fields, not browser sign-in. Apple documents an app-specific password and the current IMAP / SMTP hosts. Follow that page. This build’s outgoing-mail compatibility with the iCloud preset has not been verified.
Host and password fields
Section titled “Host and password fields”When the form asks for servers, you enter:
- IMAP host and port
- SMTP host and port
- Password
The login name is the email address you already entered. Ports 25 and 143 are rejected. A missing IMAP port becomes 993. A missing SMTP port becomes 465. Mail uses implicit TLS. Plaintext and STARTTLS are not supported.
Connect verifies IMAP before it stores the account. A successful IMAP check does not prove that sending over SMTP works.
On confirm you can set a display name and an account color. Those are local labels. They are not the IMAP login.
After the account is saved
Section titled “After the account is saved”Listed IMAP folders become available. While Primail is running, it watches for new mail. Use ⌘R (Fetch Messages) to check now.