Connecting your email inbox to tawk.to
Yasir
Last Update 2 days ago
Before you start:
You'll need:
The instructions below are for desktops and laptops only.
Note: you need permission to manage Channels for your property.
- The email address and password for the mailbox you're connecting.
- An app password, if your account uses two-factor authentication, Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo and iCloud all require one, and your normal password will not work. See Creating an app password for your email account.
- For Gmail account, always use App Password generated frrom Gmail accounts settings for tawk.to.
- Your provider's incoming (IMAP) and outgoing (SMTP) server addresses and ports, for common providers these fill in automatically once you enter your address.
The instructions below are for desktops and laptops only.
Note: you need permission to manage Channels for your property.
Connect your mailbox
- Connect your mailboxLog in to your tawk.to account.
- Select the correct property.
- Click Administration on the left navigation bar.
- Click Integrations, then choose Email (IMAP+SMTP).
- Email & provider: enter the address you want to connect. If we recognise the provider, the server settings fill in for you.
- Incoming mail: check or enter your IMAP server address and port.
- Sign in: enter the password, or app password, for the mailbox.
- Outgoing mail: check or enter your SMTP server address and port.
- Set up inbox: give the inbox a name your team will recognise, such as Support or Billing, and choose who can see it.
Choose who can see the inbox
On the last step you pick one of four options. You can change this later in the inbox's settings.
- Private: only you can see this inbox and its conversations.
- All members: all property members can see this inbox and reply to its conversations. Only the inbox owner can change a conversation's access.
- Departments: members of the selected departments can access this inbox.
- Selected members: only the members you choose can access this inbox.
If the connection test fails
The test reports incoming and outgoing separately, so the message tells you which side to fix.
- "Incorrect email or password": if your account uses two-factor authentication, you need an app password, not your normal password.
- Incoming (IMAP) failed: check the IMAP server address, the port, and that SSL/TLS matches what your provider specifies.
- Outgoing (SMTP) failed: check the same details for the SMTP server. Many providers use a different port for outgoing mail than for incoming.
- The address is already connected: this email address is already connected to this workspace. To use a different connection method, disconnect the existing connection first. If it is connected to a different workspace, disconnect it there first.
Using Gmail or Outlook?
You can connect them today by following the steps above, using an app password instead of your normal password. Enter your address, and the Gmail or Outlook server settings fill in automatically.
Connecting Gmail and Outlook directly, signing in with your Google or Microsoft account instead of entering server settings, is coming later, as separate channels of their own. Until then, the steps above are the way to bring a Gmail or Outlook mailbox into tawk.to, and they work fully.
Connecting Gmail and Outlook directly, signing in with your Google or Microsoft account instead of entering server settings, is coming later, as separate channels of their own. Until then, the steps above are the way to bring a Gmail or Outlook mailbox into tawk.to, and they work fully.
What happens next
Mail sent to the connected address arrives in your Inbox as an email conversation, alongside your chats and other channels. See Managing email conversations in the Inbox.
Additional considerations
- One address, one inbox: Each email address connects once. To bring in a second address, connect it as its own inbox - see Connecting multiple email inboxes.
- Use a dedicated app password: If your provider requires an app password, generate one specifically for tawk.to. You can then revoke it without affecting your other apps.
- Inboxes belong to a property: If you manage several properties, connect the relevant mailboxes separately for each one.
- Not the same as email forwarding: Email forwarding is a separate Ticketing feature where copies of your mail arrive as tickets.
Connecting a mailbox here brings the account itself into tawk.to as a channel. The two are independent.
Learn more
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