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Connecting an IMAP inbox (Rogers, Yahoo, custom domains)

Connecting an IMAP inbox (Rogers, Yahoo, custom domains)

~5 min read

Who this is for

If your email lives somewhere other than Google or Microsoft, IMAP is your path. The Google and Microsoft options on Settings → Integrations use OAuth — clean, no passwords. IMAP is the fallback for everyone else.

  • •**Rogers** (rogers.com, rogers.ca) — IMAP only, no OAuth available.
  • •**Yahoo Mail** (yahoo.com, ymail.com, including Yahoo for Business work email) — Yahoo dropped OAuth for third-party apps; app passwords are required.
  • •**GoDaddy email** (your domain hosted through GoDaddy's email product, not Microsoft 365) — IMAP only.
  • •**Custom-domain mailboxes** — anything self-hosted, cPanel, Fastmail, Zoho, Apple iCloud Mail, Proton (with the Bridge), or your brokerage's in-house mail server.
  • •**Workspace/365 users — don't use this.** If your email already works with Google or Microsoft above, use the OAuth flow there. IMAP works but you lose features (no OAuth refresh, app password reset on every Google password change, no calendar sync on this path).

What you'll need before clicking Connect

  • •Your email address.
  • •An **app-specific password** (not your regular login password) generated from your email provider's security settings. This is the #1 thing people get wrong — see the next section.
  • •Your IMAP server hostname and port (usually port 993 with SSL). Nylas's hosted UI guesses common providers correctly, but knowing them helps when it doesn't.

Generating an app password

Most modern providers don't let third-party apps sign in with your account password anymore. You generate a separate "app password" — a one-off credential tied to your account that you can revoke without touching your main login.

  • •**Rogers (Yahoo-powered):** sign in at mail.yahoo.com → Account Info → Account security → Generate app password. Rogers webmail piggybacks on Yahoo's account system, so this is the path for both.
  • •**Yahoo:** mail.yahoo.com → Account Info → Account security → Generate and manage app passwords. Two-step verification has to be on first.
  • •**GoDaddy:** sign in to your GoDaddy account → Email & Office Dashboard → the mailbox row → Manage → security/passwords. GoDaddy's flow varies by plan tier.
  • •**Zoho/Fastmail/Proton/everything else:** search your provider's docs for "app password" or "third-party app password." Every modern IMAP host has one.

Copy the app password as soon as it's shown. Most providers show it once and never again. If you lose it, you generate a new one (the old one is just revoked, no harm done).

IMAP server settings for common providers

Nylas's hosted UI will pre-fill these for common providers when you type your email. If it doesn't, here are the most common ones:

  • •**Rogers:** `imap.rogers.com` port `993` (SSL). SMTP `smtp.rogers.com` port `465`.
  • •**Yahoo (incl. Rogers):** `imap.mail.yahoo.com` port `993` (SSL). SMTP `smtp.mail.yahoo.com` port `465` or `587`.
  • •**GoDaddy:** `imap.secureserver.net` port `993`. SMTP `smtpout.secureserver.net` port `465`.
  • •**Zoho:** `imap.zoho.com` port `993`. SMTP `smtp.zoho.com` port `465`.
  • •**iCloud:** `imap.mail.me.com` port `993`. SMTP `smtp.mail.me.com` port `587`.
  • •**Custom domain:** check with your IT person or web host. If your mail address is `you@yourdomain.com`, the server is usually `mail.yourdomain.com` or whatever your host published.

The exact click-through

  1. 1Settings → Integrations → click **Connect** next to **Connect via IMAP**. Closr's consent modal explains the permissions Closr will use. Click **Continue**.
  2. 2Nylas's hosted screen opens. Enter your email address. If your provider is well-known, Nylas pre-fills the server settings.
  3. 3Enter your **app password** (not your regular login password) in the password field. Confirm the IMAP and SMTP server fields look right.
  4. 4Click **Submit**. Nylas tries the connection. If it works, you land back on the Closr Integrations page with a green check next to **Connect via IMAP**.

Common pitfalls

  • •**Using your account password instead of an app password.** This is the #1 cause of "connection failed." Account passwords work for maybe 10% of providers (the ones still on legacy auth). For Yahoo, Rogers, GoDaddy, Zoho, iCloud, Outlook.com personal — they don't. Always generate an app password.
  • •**Two-step verification not turned on.** Some providers (Yahoo especially) won't show the "Generate app password" option until 2FA is enabled on the account.
  • •**Wrong port.** Port `993` is IMAP-over-SSL (the modern default). Older guides sometimes say `143` (cleartext IMAP) — don't use that, it's insecure and most providers have it disabled.
  • •**Custom-domain mailboxes with no published settings.** Your web host has to expose IMAP. Some bargain-bin domain registrars sell email forwarding (not full mailboxes) — those don't work over IMAP because there's nothing to connect to.

What's different vs. Google or Microsoft connections

  • •**No calendar sync on this path.** IMAP is mail-only. If your provider also runs CalDAV (Yahoo, iCloud), calendar sync is on the roadmap but not in this release. Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 users get email + calendar in one connection.
  • •**Send-through-your-address still works.** Outbound emails from Closr still come from your real email, with your name, threaded into the recipient's normal inbox view.
  • •**Inbound parsing still works.** Bulk-sender filtering, contact-thread matching, BrokerBay/ShowingTime/Realtor.ca auto-routing all work identically.

If your app password stops working out of nowhere, your provider probably rotated something on their end (rare) or your account password changed (which sometimes revokes all app passwords). Generate a new one and reconnect from Settings → Integrations.