Set Up Business Email in Apple Mail on Mac (IMAP, Step by Step)

Apple Mail on the Mac adds a mailbox on your own domain through the Other Mail Account option, and it tries to work out the servers for you first. That lookup fails for most custom domains, which is fine: the manual screen appears, and the whole setup is five fields. The part people miss is afterwards, under Server Settings, where Mail hides the ports behind an "automatically manage" switch. This guide covers the add, the ports, and the folder mapping that keeps Sent in sync with webmail and your phone.

Quick answer

Mail, Settings (Preferences on older macOS), Accounts, the plus button, Other Mail Account. Enter your name, address and webmail password. When Mail cannot verify the account, set Account Type IMAP, Incoming Mail Server mail.oqumail.com, Outgoing Mail Server mail.oqumail.com, Username your full address, and click Sign In. Then open Server Settings, untick Automatically manage connection settings for both servers, and confirm port 993 with TLS/SSL incoming and port 587 with TLS/SSL outgoing.

The settings you will enter

• Incoming (IMAP) server: mail.oqumail.com, port 993, SSL/TLS on
• Outgoing (SMTP) server: mail.oqumail.com, port 587, STARTTLS (apps that offer only an SSL switch: on, with port 587)
• Username: your full email address, for both incoming and outgoing
• Password: the same password you use for OquMail webmail

Step by step

1. Open Mail. From the menu bar choose Mail, then Settings (Preferences on macOS 12 and earlier), then Accounts.
2. Click the plus button at the bottom left of the account list and choose Other Mail Account, then Continue.
3. Enter your name as recipients should see it, your full email address and your webmail password. Click Sign In.
4. Mail tries to find the servers and reports "Unable to verify account name or password". That is expected. Fill the fields that appear: Email Address and User Name both your full address, Password, Account Type IMAP, Incoming Mail Server mail.oqumail.com, Outgoing Mail Server mail.oqumail.com. Click Sign In again.
5. Choose the apps to use with the account (Mail on, Notes optional) and click Done. The inbox starts loading.
6. Back in Accounts, select the new account and open the Server Settings tab. Under Incoming Mail Server untick Automatically manage connection settings and confirm Port 993 with Use TLS/SSL ticked and authentication (proof that email really comes from your company) Password.
7. Under Outgoing Mail Server, choose Edit SMTP Server List if the server is not shown, select it, and on its Server Settings untick Automatically manage. Confirm Port 587, Use TLS/SSL ticked, authentication (proof that email really comes from your company) Password, and User Name your full address with the password filled in. Click OK, then Save.
8. Send a test message to another address you own and reply to it from there to confirm both directions.

Keep Sent, Drafts and Trash on the server

In the same account, open the Mailbox Behaviors tab. Set Drafts Mailbox, Sent Mailbox, Junk Mailbox and Trash Mailbox to the folders under your account name rather than On My Mac. Messages you send from the Mac then appear in Sent in webmail and on your phone, and a draft started on the Mac can be finished anywhere.

Useful settings

• Signature per account: Mail, Settings, Signatures; select the account in the left column and write one with your name, business and phone number.
• Default sending account: Mail, Settings, Composing, Send new messages from, pick the work address.
• Notifications: System Settings, Notifications, Mail, and in Mail, Settings, General, New message notifications set to Inbox Only or a VIP list.
• Check frequency: Mail, Settings, General, Check for new messages. Automatically is fine; IMAP IDLE keeps the inbox live while Mail is open.

If something goes wrong

• "Unable to verify account name or password" on the manual screen: the User Name must be the full address, and the servers must be exactly mail.oqumail.com. Try the password in webmail first.
• Receives but cannot send: the SMTP server has no user name or password. Open Server Settings, the SMTP server, and fill both; Mail leaves them empty if the first attempt failed.
• "Mail can't verify the identity of the server": the host name is not mail.oqumail.com. Do not click Continue; fix the name. See certificate errors.
• Sent messages missing from webmail: Mailbox Behaviors is still pointing Sent at On My Mac.
• Everything is slow after adding years of mail: Mail is indexing. Leave it open and plugged in for an hour the first time.

Common questions

Should I choose Exchange or Other?

Other. Exchange is for Microsoft 365 and Exchange servers. A mailbox on OquMail is an IMAP account.

Can I add two mailboxes on the same domain?

Yes. Repeat the steps for each address. Each account has its own password and signature, and Mail shows them as separate inboxes or combined.

Will the account sync to my iPhone?

Not through iCloud. Add it on the iPhone separately; the iPhone Mail guide takes three minutes.