Help Center | tawk.to | Connecting your email inbox to tawk.to

Connecting your email inbox to tawk.to

The instructions below are for desktops and laptops only.

You can connect your email account to tawk.to using IMAP and SMTP, the standard protocols supported by most email providers. Once connected, emails sent to your email address appear in your tawk.to Inbox, allowing your team to manage and reply to email conversations without leaving tawk.to.

Before you start

Before connecting your email inbox, make sure you have:

Permission to manage Channels for your property.
The email address and password for the mailbox you want to connect.
An app password if your email account uses two-factor authentication (2FA). Providers such as Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo and iCloud require an app password, so your regular account password won't work. To learn more, see this guide: Creating an app password for your email account
Your email provider's incoming (IMAP) and outgoing (SMTP) server addresses and port numbers. For many popular providers, these details are filled in automatically after you enter your email address. If you need to enter them manually, follow the steps in this guide: Finding your email server settings
IMAP enabled for your email account, if required by your email provider. Some providers disable IMAP by default. To learn more, see this guide: Enabling IMAP access with your provider

Steps to connect your email inbox

1. Log in to your tawk.to account, and select the correct property.

2. Click Administration on the left navigation bar.

3. Click Integrations in the left submenu.

4. Select Email (IMAP + SMTP) under Messaging.

5. This opens the Overview tab of the Email integration page. Click Install in the upper right corner.

6. In Email & provider:

- Enter the email address you want to connect
- Select your email provider from the dropdown list

If your provider is recognised, the IMAP and SMTP server settings are filled in automatically in the following steps.

If you don’t see your provider on the list, select Custom/Other. You’ll need to enter the server details manually in the following steps.

Click Next.

7. In Incoming mail:

- Confirm or enter the IMAP server address and port
- Ensure the correct encryption method is selected

If you selected Custom/Other from the provider list, you’ll need to enter the server details manually here. See this guide to learn more: Finding your email server settings

Click Next.

8. In Sign in:

- Enter the IMAP username
- Enter the mailbox password or app password.
To learn more about app passwords, see this guide: Creating an app password for your email account

Click Next.

9. Under Outgoing mail:

- Confirm or enter the SMTP server address and port.
- If your outgoing mail server uses the same username and password as your incoming (IMAP) server, select the SMTP uses same credentials as IMAP checkbox.
- If your outgoing mail server uses different credentials, leave the SMTP uses same credentials as IMAP checkbox cleared, and enter the SMTP username and password.

If you selected Custom/Other from the provider list, you'll also need to enter the SMTP server details manually. See this guide to learn more: Finding your email server settings

Then, click Next.

10. In Set up inbox:

Enter a name for the inbox, such as Support, Sales, or Billing.
Choose who can access the inbox:

Private — Only you can access the inbox and its conversations.
All members — All property members can access the inbox and reply to conversations.
Departments — Only members of the selected departments can access the inbox.
Selected members — Only the members you choose can access the inbox.

You can change these permissions later from the inbox settings.

Note: Every inbox has an owner. Only the inbox owner can change a conversation's access. You can also transfer ownership to another property member at any time from the inbox settings.

Click Create inbox.

11. Complete the setup.

Troubleshoot connection issues

During setup, we test the incoming (IMAP) and outgoing (SMTP) connections separately. If a connection fails, we'll tell you whether it's the incoming or outgoing connection and explain the reason for the error, making it easier to troubleshoot.

Common connection errors include:

Incorrect email or password
If your email account uses two-factor authentication, use an app password instead of your regular account password. To learn more, see this guide: Creating an app password for your email account

If you're already using an app password, your provider may require IMAP to be enabled before external applications can connect. See this guide to learn more: Enabling IMAP access with your provider

Incoming (IMAP) connection failed
Verify that the IMAP server address, port number and SSL/TLS settings match the values provided by your email provider. If you don't know these settings, see this guide to learn more: Finding your email server settings

Outgoing (SMTP) connection failed
Verify that the SMTP server address, port number and SSL/TLS settings are correct. Many providers use different port numbers for incoming and outgoing mail. To find the correct settings, see Finding your email server settings.

This email address is already connected
An email address can only be connected once within a workspace. Disconnect the existing connection before connecting it again. If the address is connected to another workspace, disconnect it there first.

For more troubleshooting guidance, see Troubleshooting email connection and delivery issues

Using Gmail or Outlook?

You can connect Gmail and Outlook mailboxes using the steps above. After you enter your email address, the correct IMAP and SMTP server settings are filled in automatically.

If your account uses two-factor authentication, use an app password instead of your regular account password. To learn more, see this guide: Creating an app password for your email account

Direct Google and Microsoft account sign-in isn't available yet. Until then, connecting through IMAP and SMTP provides full support for Gmail and Outlook mailboxes.

What happens next?

After your mailbox is connected, emails sent to that address appear in your tawk.to Inbox alongside your live chats and other messaging channels.

To learn how to manage email conversations, see this guide: Managing email conversations in the Inbox

If you need to connect additional email addresses, see this guide: Connecting multiple email inboxes

Additional considerations

One email address, one inbox
Each email address can only be connected once. To connect another address, create a separate inbox.
Use a dedicated app password
If your provider requires an app password, create one specifically for tawk.to. This lets you revoke access later without affecting your other apps or devices.
Connect inboxes per property
If you manage multiple properties, connect each email inbox separately for the relevant property.
Email channels and email forwarding are different features
Connecting an email inbox creates an email channel that lets you send and receive emails directly in tawk.to. Email forwarding is a separate Ticketing feature that converts forwarded emails into tickets. The two features work independently.

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