Connecting mailboxes that don't use an App Password (hosting / IMAP providers)

WS
WarmySender Team
Updated Jun 24, 2026

Here's the short version: Gmail and Outlook are the exception, not the rule. They require a special App Password (which you can only create once 2-Step Verification is turned on). Most other email providers do not use App Passwords at all. Hosting and IMAP providers — like All-Inkl, IONOS, Strato, Hostinger, Zoho, Fastmail, and most cPanel or webmail hosts — connect with your normal mailbox password: the exact same password you use to sign in to your webmail. If you went looking for an "App Password" setting on one of these providers and couldn't find one, that's expected — there usually isn't one, and you don't need it.

WarmySender is a 4-pillar outreach platform — Cold Emailing, Email Warmup, LinkedIn Outreach, and Multichannel sequences. This guide covers connecting (and reconnecting) a mailbox from a hosting or IMAP provider — the kind that uses your normal password rather than a Gmail- or Outlook-style App Password.

Who needs an App Password — and who doesn't

An App Password is a one-off code you generate specifically for connecting an app, separate from your everyday login password. Only a couple of providers require one:

Everyone else uses a normal password. If your mailbox is hosted with a provider like All-Inkl, IONOS, Strato, Hostinger, Zoho, or Fastmail — or with a typical cPanel / webmail host that came with your website or domain — you connect it in WarmySender with the same password you use to log in to your webmail. There's no App Password to create and nothing extra to switch on.

A simple rule of thumb: if you can sign in to your provider's webmail with a password (and you're not on Gmail or Outlook), that password is the one WarmySender needs.

How to connect a hosting / IMAP mailbox

Connecting one of these mailboxes takes a minute. On the Mailboxes page, click Add Mailbox, then:

  1. Choose IMAP / SMTP (sometimes shown as "Custom IMAP/SMTP" or "Other provider"). This is the option for any mailbox that isn't Gmail or Outlook.
  2. Enter your email address — your full address, for example [email protected].
  3. Enter your normal mailbox password — the same password you use to sign in to your provider's webmail. No App Password, no 2-Factor Authentication required.
  4. Enter your provider's IMAP and SMTP server details. These come from your email provider — usually on their help page under a heading like "email settings," "IMAP/SMTP setup," or "mail server settings." A typical setup looks like this:
    • Incoming (IMAP): your provider's IMAP host, port 993, security SSL/TLS
    • Outgoing (SMTP): your provider's SMTP host, port 587, security STARTTLS
    Your provider's own settings page is the authority on the exact host names and ports — copy them from there.
  5. Click Test Connection. If everything matches, you'll see a success message; click Save and the mailbox shows a green "Connected" status. If the test doesn't pass, see "If reconnect says authentication failed" below.

Reconnecting an existing mailbox works the same way: open the mailbox on the Mailboxes page, choose Update credentials (or Reconnect), and re-enter your normal mailbox password along with the same IMAP/SMTP host and ports.

Do I need to turn on 2-Factor Authentication or App Passwords?

No. For hosting and IMAP providers, your normal mailbox password is the correct one and nothing extra is mandatory. 2-Factor Authentication and App Passwords are specific to Gmail and Outlook — that's the only place you need them. For All-Inkl, IONOS, Strato, Hostinger, Zoho, Fastmail, and most cPanel / webmail hosts, there's nothing to switch on: just use the password you already sign in with.

A few providers offer an optional App-Password-style code as an extra feature, but for the great majority of hosting mailboxes it isn't required and isn't the cause of a failed connection. If your normal password lets you into your webmail, it's the one to use here.

If reconnect says "authentication failed"

"Authentication failed" simply means the mail server didn't accept the email address and password as entered. For a hosting / IMAP mailbox it's almost always one of a few easy things — and it doesn't mean anything is broken. Work through these in order:

  1. Re-enter your normal mailbox password — not an App Password. For these providers the password you sign in to webmail with is the right one. The quickest test: open your provider's webmail in a browser and sign in with that exact password. If it logs you in there, it's the password WarmySender needs — re-type it carefully (it's easy to fat-finger or paste with a stray space).
  2. Confirm the username is your full email address. Some providers expect the complete address — [email protected] — as the username, not just the part before the "@". If there's a separate Username field, put the full email address there.
  3. Double-check the IMAP and SMTP host and ports. Re-copy them from your provider's settings page. A single wrong character in a host name, or the wrong port, reads as a failed connection even when your password is perfect. The common values are IMAP on 993 (SSL/TLS) and SMTP on 587 (STARTTLS), but always use exactly what your provider lists.
  4. If you recently changed your mailbox password, make sure you're entering the new one, and give your provider a few minutes to apply the change before trying again.

If it still won't connect after those steps, just reply to support and we'll look at that specific mailbox with you — see Still seeing it? below. We'd rather take a look than have you keep guessing.

What this means for your warmup and campaigns

Once the mailbox connects, you're all set: Email Warmup begins on its normal gentle ramp to build your sender reputation, and the mailbox becomes available for your cold email campaigns and Multichannel sequences. Connecting with your normal password works exactly the same way as any other mailbox — there's no difference in how warmup or sending behaves. Your other mailboxes and your LinkedIn outreach are separate and unaffected while you set this one up.

If a mailbox that was already connected and working later shows a brief connection problem, that's usually a short, temporary hiccup on your provider's side rather than anything to do with your password — see Why did several of my mailboxes suddenly show "Reconnecting"?

Frequently asked questions

Which password do I use for my hosting mailbox?

Your normal mailbox password — the same one you use to sign in to your provider's webmail. For hosting and IMAP providers like All-Inkl, IONOS, Strato, Hostinger, Zoho, Fastmail, and most cPanel / webmail hosts, there's no separate App Password to create. App Passwords are a Gmail and Outlook thing; everyone else uses the everyday login password. A quick way to be sure you've got the right one: if it logs you in to your webmail in a browser, it's the password WarmySender needs.

My provider doesn't have an "App Password" setting — what do I do?

That's normal — most hosting and IMAP providers don't have one, and you don't need it. App Passwords are specific to Gmail and Outlook. For every other provider, connect with your normal mailbox password instead. Choose IMAP/SMTP when you add the mailbox, enter your full email address and that normal password, add your provider's IMAP/SMTP host and ports, and click Test Connection.

Do I need to enable 2-Factor Authentication first?

No. 2-Factor Authentication (and the App Password that comes with it) is only needed for Gmail and Outlook. For hosting and IMAP providers, nothing extra is mandatory — your normal mailbox password is the correct one. You can connect the mailbox straight away without turning anything on.

Which providers use a normal password instead of an App Password?

The large majority of them. Hosting and IMAP providers such as All-Inkl, IONOS, Strato, Hostinger, Zoho, and Fastmail — plus most cPanel / webmail hosts that came with a website or domain — all connect with your everyday mailbox password. The main exceptions are Gmail / Google Workspace and Outlook / Microsoft 365, which have their own connection guides. As a rule, if you can sign in to your provider's webmail with a password and you're not on Gmail or Outlook, that password is the one to use.

Where do I find my IMAP and SMTP host and ports?

From your email provider — usually on their help or support site under a heading like "email settings," "IMAP/SMTP setup," or "mail server settings." A typical setup is IMAP on port 993 with SSL/TLS for incoming mail and SMTP on port 587 with STARTTLS for outgoing mail, but the exact host names and ports come from your provider, so copy them from their settings page. When you add or reconnect the mailbox in WarmySender, click Test Connection to confirm they're right.

It says "authentication failed" — how do I fix it?

For a hosting / IMAP mailbox this is almost always quick to fix. Re-enter your normal mailbox password (not an App Password) — test it by signing in to your provider's webmail in a browser to be sure it's the right one — confirm the username is your full email address, and double-check the IMAP and SMTP host and ports against your provider's settings page (the common values are IMAP 993 with SSL/TLS and SMTP 587 with STARTTLS). If you recently changed your password, make sure you're using the new one. If it still won't connect after that, reply to support and we'll look at that specific mailbox with you.

Does connecting this way affect my warmup or campaigns?

No. A mailbox connected with your normal password works exactly like any other. Once it's connected, warmup begins on its normal gentle ramp and the mailbox is ready for your cold email campaigns and Multichannel sequences. There's no difference in how sending or warmup behaves, and your already-connected mailboxes and your LinkedIn outreach carry on as usual.

Still seeing it after trying the steps above?

If a hosting / IMAP mailbox still won't connect after you've re-entered your normal mailbox password, confirmed the username is your full email address, and double-checked the IMAP/SMTP host and ports against your provider's settings, we'd be glad to look at that specific mailbox for you. Email [email protected] with the email address you're trying to connect and your provider's name, and we'll help you get it working — just reply there and we'll take it from your message.

Still have questions? Email [email protected] — we respond within 24 hours on business days.