IMAP

Connect any email provider that supports IMAP to Missive. This includes providers like Fastmail, Zoho, and many others.

How to connect

1

Open account settings

Go to Settings > Accounts and click Add account.

To open Settings, click your avatar at the top of the sidebar, then Settings (or press ⌘,).

2

Select IMAP

Under the Email tab, select IMAP.

3

Choose import options

Select how much email history to import:

• No history - start fresh

• 1 month to 10 years - recent emails only

• All history - everything (paid plans only)

Choose if this is a personal or shared account.

4

Enter your credentials

Fill in your account details:

• Display name: How your name appears when sending

• Email address: Your email

• Password: Your email password (or app-specific password if required)

5

Configure IMAP settings

Enter your provider's IMAP server details:

• Hostname: e.g., imap.provider.com

• Port: Usually 993 for SSL/TLS or 143 for STARTTLS

• Encryption: SSL/TLS (recommended) or STARTTLS

Your username usually defaults to your email address.

6

Configure SMTP settings

Enter your provider's SMTP server details:

• Hostname: e.g., smtp.provider.com

• Port: Usually 587 for STARTTLS or 465 for SSL/TLS

• Encryption: STARTTLS (recommended) or SSL/TLS

7

Connect

Click Connect to add your account. Missive will verify the connection and start syncing.

Find your provider's IMAP/SMTP settings in their documentation. Search for "[provider name] IMAP settings".

Terminology

IMAP	Missive	Notes
Folders	Labels / Mailboxes	Missive displays IMAP folders as labels
Special folders (Inbox, Sent, Trash)	System labels	Automatically detected and aligned
Server-side filters	Provider rules	These run before Missive's rules

History

When you connect an IMAP account, you choose how much history to import.

• Missive retains read/unread state and folder structure

• Special folders (Inbox, Sent, Trash, Drafts, Archive) sync automatically

• Paid plans allow importing unlimited history

You can change the amount of imported history anytime in Settings > Accounts.

Contacts

IMAP does not provide contact syncing.

Missive only syncs contacts for providers with API support (Google, Microsoft). For IMAP-only providers, manage contacts outside Missive or import via CSV.

Calendar

IMAP does not include calendars. CalDAV is not currently supported.

Sharing and team workflows

Most IMAP servers don't support shared mailboxes like Gmail or Office 365. You can still create shared workflows:

1. Connect the IMAP account normally

2. Share the account with your team in Settings > Accounts

3. Convert it to a Team Inbox for collective triage

Server-side rules

If your IMAP provider has server-side filtering:

• Server rules execute before Missive's rules

• Emails auto-filed by the server arrive in those locations in Missive

• Consider disabling server rules to avoid conflicts with Missive workflows

Search operators

Missive's search works with any IMAP provider:

Operator	Description
from:	Search by sender
to:	Search by recipient
subject:	Search by keywords
in:	Limit to a specific folder
has:attachment	Messages with attachments
is:unread	Unread messages
before: / after:	Date-based filtering
-"..."	Exclude specific terms

Known limitations

IMAP behavior varies by provider. You may encounter:

• Slower syncing for large mailboxes

• Missing or non-standard special folders

• Connection throttling

• Limited mobile push notification support

Missive handles most IMAP conventions, but the experience depends on your provider's implementation.