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Helpdesk Mailboxes

Connecting your first mailbox

Mailboxes May 27, 2026

Connecting a mailbox tells Cleanbox where to deliver your emails. When an alias receives a message and it passes all your filters and rules, Cleanbox forwards it to your connected mailbox via IMAP. This guide walks you through connecting your first mailbox.

Supported providers

Cleanbox works with any email provider that supports IMAP, including:

  • Gmail (personal and Google Workspace)
  • Outlook (personal and Microsoft 365)
  • iCloud Mail
  • Yahoo Mail
  • Zoho Mail
  • AOL Mail
  • Any other IMAP-compatible provider

Step-by-step setup

1. Navigate to mailboxes

From your dashboard, click "Mailboxes" in the sidebar, then click "Add mailbox".

2. Enter your IMAP details

Fill in the connection settings for your email provider:

  • Email address — your full email address (e.g., john@gmail.com)
  • IMAP host — the server address (e.g., imap.gmail.com)
  • IMAP port — usually 993 for SSL/TLS connections
  • Password — an app-specific password (not your regular login password — see below)
  • Folder — which folder to deliver to (default: INBOX)

For a full list of IMAP settings per provider, see IMAP connection details per provider.

3. Verify the connection

Cleanbox will test the IMAP connection. If successful, your mailbox is ready. If it fails, you'll see an error message with guidance on what to fix.

App-specific passwords

Most email providers require an app-specific password when connecting third-party apps. This is a separate password generated specifically for Cleanbox — your main login password won't work if you have two-factor authentication enabled on your email account.

See the IMAP connection details article for provider-specific instructions on generating app-specific passwords.

What happens after connecting

Once your mailbox is connected:

  • Contact discovery — Cleanbox scans your existing emails to build your contact list. This usually takes 30–60 seconds.
  • Category detection — Contacts are automatically categorized (Shopping, Social Networks, Finance, etc.)
  • Newsletter detection — Subscription-based senders are flagged with the unsubscribe toggle
  • Ready for aliases — You can now create aliases that forward to this mailbox

Troubleshooting

"Authentication failed"

  • Make sure you're using an app-specific password, not your regular login password
  • Verify that IMAP is enabled in your email provider's settings
  • Check that your full email address is entered as the username

"IMAP not enabled"

  • Gmail: Go to Gmail Settings → Forwarding and POP/IMAP → Enable IMAP
  • Yahoo: Go to Settings → More Settings → Mailbox access → Enable IMAP
  • Outlook: IMAP is enabled by default for most accounts

"Connection timeout"

  • Your email provider may be temporarily unavailable. Try again in a few minutes.
  • Check that you're using the correct IMAP server and port (usually port 993 with SSL).

"Sync is taking too long"

Large mailboxes with over 50,000 emails may take a few minutes to scan for contacts. The process runs in the background — you can navigate away and come back later. Your dashboard will update automatically when the scan is complete.