Read and Sync Your Mailbox via IMAP on UGMail (Port 993)

IMAP (Internet Message Access Protocol) is the standard protocol for reading and organizing email while keeping messages stored on the server. Unlike POP3, IMAP keeps your client and mailbox in sync — actions you take in one client (reading, moving, deleting, flagging) are reflected everywhere else. Use IMAP when you need live access to a mailbox from multiple devices, a desktop email client, or a custom application that monitors incoming messages.

Connection settings

Configure your IMAP client with the following details:

Setting	Value
Server	`mail.ugmail.co`
Port	`993`
Security	SSL/TLS
Username	Your mailbox email address
Password	Your mailbox password

Authentication

Use your mailbox’s full email address as the username (e.g. alice@example.com) and the password you set via the secrets field in the Management API as the password. The same credentials work across IMAP, SMTP, POP3, and all other UGMail protocols.

Compatible email clients

UGMail’s IMAP server is compatible with any standards-compliant email client, including:

Mozilla Thunderbird (Windows, macOS, Linux)
Apple Mail (macOS, iOS)
Microsoft Outlook (Windows, macOS)
Gmail app (iOS, Android — via “Add other account”)
mutt / neomutt (terminal)
K-9 Mail (Android)
Spark, Airmail, Canary Mail, and other third-party clients

Configuring an email client

The exact steps differ by client, but the following sequence applies to virtually every IMAP-capable application.

Open account settings

In your email client, navigate to Settings (or Preferences) and choose Add Account or Add Mail Account.

Enter your account details

Provide your name, your full mailbox email address, and your mailbox password when prompted.

Choose manual / custom setup

If your client offers automatic configuration, skip it and select Manual setup or Custom so you can enter the UGMail server details directly.

Enter incoming server settings

Set the incoming mail server to mail.ugmail.co, port 993, with SSL/TLS encryption.

Enter outgoing server settings

Set the outgoing (SMTP) server to mail.ugmail.co, port 587, with STARTTLS encryption. Use the same email address and password for SMTP authentication.

Save and verify

Save the account. Your client will connect and begin syncing your inbox. If the connection fails, double-check the server address, port, security type, and credentials.

Code example

Use Python’s built-in imaplib to connect programmatically, search your inbox, and read messages.

Python (imaplib)

import imaplib

imap = imaplib.IMAP4_SSL('mail.ugmail.co', 993)
imap.login('alice@example.com', 'SecurePassword123!')
imap.select('INBOX')

_, messages = imap.search(None, 'ALL')
for num in messages[0].split():
    _, data = imap.fetch(num, '(RFC822)')
    print(data[0][1].decode())

imap.logout()

The imap.search(None, 'ALL') call returns the IDs of every message in the selected folder. You can replace 'ALL' with any valid IMAP search criterion — for example, 'UNSEEN' to fetch only unread messages, or 'FROM "sender@example.com"' to filter by sender.

Troubleshooting

If you see an AUTHENTICATE failed error, confirm that your username is the full email address (not just the local part before the @) and that the password matches what you set in the secrets field of the Management API exactly.

Symptom	Likely cause	Fix
`Connection timed out`	Port 993 blocked by firewall	Open outbound port 993, or check with your network administrator
`Certificate error`	Client not trusting the server certificate	Ensure your client uses system trust store or update to a current certificate bundle
Folders not syncing	Client set to sync only INBOX	Enable “Subscribe to all folders” or manually subscribe in your client
Slow initial sync	Large mailbox, full RFC822 fetch	Use `(BODY.PEEK[HEADER])` instead of `(RFC822)` to fetch headers only during initial scan

Get Started

Core Concepts

Protocols

Guides

Security

Read and Sync Your Mailbox via IMAP on UGMail (Port 993)

Connection settings

Authentication

Compatible email clients

Configuring an email client

Code example

Troubleshooting

​Connection settings

​Authentication

​Compatible email clients

​Configuring an email client

​Code example

​Troubleshooting

Connection settings

Authentication

Compatible email clients

Configuring an email client

Code example

Troubleshooting