How do I send and receive emails via SMTP and IMAP ?

SparrowDesk lets you link almost any mailbox by entering its SMTP (outgoing) and IMAP (incoming) settings.

• Sending – Every reply you write in SparrowDesk is delivered through your SMTP server.
• Receiving – SparrowDesk checks your mailbox over IMAP every few minutes and pulls new messages into the conversation view.

Prepare the details you’ll need

Before you open SparrowDesk, collect the following from your mail provider:

• Email address you’ll send from
• Display name (e.g., “Support Team”)
• SMTP host, port, username, and password
• IMAP host, port, username, and password
• An app-specific password if two-factor authentication is turned on (Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo, etc.)

If you don’t know these values, check your provider’s help pages or ask your IT admin. SMTP/IMAP information is different for every service.

Refer this article for finding the SMTP/IMAP informations

Add the mailbox inside SparrowDesk

1. Go to Settings → Email Setup and click Add Email.
2. Leave Connection Type set to Basic
3. Enter the email address and the “From” name exactly as you want customers to see them.
4. Fill in the SMTP server and port.
5. Fill in the IMAP server and port.
6. Give the username and password. How to generate the username and password for Google Workspace accounts.
7. Click Add Email.
8. SparrowDesk will test the connection to both servers and confirm when everything works.

If you see “Internal Error” or “Inbox Checking Settings Incorrect”

These messages mean SparrowDesk couldn’t log in or reach the server.

1. Re-verify every hostname, port, username, and password—one typo blocks the test.
2. Make sure IMAP is enabled in the mailbox settings (Gmail disables it for new accounts).
3. Use an app password if two-factor authentication is active.
4. Switch the security option to Auto if you’re unsure which TLS setting your server requires.

If you know which mode your provider requires, select it directly: choose STARTTLS with port 587 or SSL with port 465. SparrowDesk connects using exactly the mode you pick.

A separate help-center article (“Why am I receiving an Internal Error…”) walks through each cause in detail.

Special case: Microsoft Exchange

On-premise Exchange servers often use custom hostnames such as my-exchange-server.company.com. Ask your Exchange admin for the exact SMTP and IMAP addresses. If your organization allows it, SparrowDesk’s native Microsoft OAuth connector is simpler and more reliable than manual SMTP.

If you need to change the password later, open Email Setup, click Reconnect, and enter the new credentials