Almost every failed account setup comes down to one of four things:
- Your provider wants a different password. Many providers no longer accept your normal password in a mail app, and issue a separate one instead.
- IMAP is switched off. Several providers ship with mail-app access disabled, and some switch it off again if you don't use it for a while.
- IMAP costs extra, or isn't offered. A few providers only allow mail apps on a paid plan, or not at all.
- It's a work address, and your employer decides what can connect.
Find your address below.
Find your provider
| Your address ends in | What's usually wrong | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| @mail.ru, @bk.ru, @inbox.ru, @list.ru, @internet.ru | Your normal password is never accepted | Create an external application password, steps |
| @gmx.de, @gmx.at, @gmx.net | POP3/IMAP is off, and turns itself off again | Switch it back on, steps |
| @web.de, @mail.de | POP3/IMAP is off, and turns itself off again | Switch it back on, steps |
| @t-online.de, @magenta.de | Needs a Passwort für E-Mail-Program | Set one at Telekom, steps |
| @arcor.de, @kabelmail.de | Needs a separate Vodafone E-Mail-Passwort | Set one at Vodafone, steps |
| @freenet.de, @ok.de | Mail-app access is off by default | Switch it on, steps |
| @orange.fr, @wanadoo.fr | Needs a dedicated password, plus an access switch | steps |
| @ik.me | Your login password won't work in a mail app | Create an app password, steps |
| @free.fr, @laposte.net, @sfr.fr, @bbox.fr | Wrong servers, or access not enabled | steps |
| @alice.it, @tim.it, @tin.it | TIM only allows mail apps on TIM's own network | read this first |
| @libero.it, @inwind.it, @virgilio.it | If Password Sicura is on, your password won't work | steps |
| @tiscali.it | Wrong servers | settings |
| @wp.pl, @o2.pl, @op.pl | Mail-program access is off; two-step login needs its own password | steps |
| @onet.pl, @poczta.onet.pl | POP3 no longer works, so you must choose IMAP | steps |
| @interia.pl | Access switch and server settings | steps |
| @comcast.net | Third Party Access Security must be turned on | steps |
| @aol.com, @verizon.net | Needs a generated app password | steps |
| @earthlink.net, @mindspring.com | Just needs the right servers | settings |
| @btinternet.com, @blueyonder.co.uk, @ntlworld.com, @plus.com | Separate mail password, or wrong port | steps |
| @bluewin.ch, @sunrise.ch | Bluewin needs a separate e-mail password, not your Swisscom Login | steps |
| @seznam.cz, @centrum.cz | With two-factor on, you need an application password | steps |
| @azet.sk, @centrum.sk, @atlas.sk | Your username must be the full address, not your short account name | steps |
| @sapo.pt, @meo.pt | IMAP is now a paid feature, free accounts are webmail-only | read this first |
| @kpnmail.nl, @telfort.nl, @ziggo.nl, @home.nl | Wrong servers or security setting | settings |
| @yandex.ru, @yandex.com, @ya.ru | Your Yandex password won't work; needs an app password | steps |
| @mail.com | IMAP is a Premium feature, and off by default | read this first |
| @proton.me, @protonmail.com | Not supported, Proton can't be added to BlueMail | why |
| @so-net.ne.jp | IMAP is a paid add-on | steps |
| @ocn.ne.jp, @docomo.ne.jp | The mail password is not your website login password | steps |
| @yahoo.co.jp | Three separate switches have to be on | steps |
| @nifty.com, @biglobe.ne.jp, @jcom.zaq.ne.jp | Access switch, or IMAP not included | steps |
| @gmail.com | You must tap Allow on Google's permission screen | steps |
| @icloud.com, @me.com | Needs an Apple app-specific password | steps |
| @yahoo.com | Yahoo signs you in through Yahoo itself, remove and re-add | steps |
| Your company address | Your employer controls what can connect | what to ask IT |
Your provider isn't listed?
Work through these four, in order, they cover most of what's left:
- Sign in with your email address and password first. Leave Allow BlueMail to auto-detect the server details of your account ticked. If that works, nothing else here applies.
- Check for an app password. Search your provider's help for "app password", "application-specific password" or "password for mail programs". If they issue one, use it instead of your normal password.
- Check IMAP is switched on in your provider's webmail settings, usually under a heading like POP3/IMAP, External access, or Mail apps.
- Get the server details from your provider's own support page and enter them by hand. See Configuring your account manually.
Still stuck? If the app showed Setup could not finish, that error has its own page, Setup Could Not Finish (Error 3017). Otherwise Can't Add My Account has the full checklist and the page for each specific error message.
Adding a particular kind of account
- What provider should I choose from the list? if you are unsure which entry matches your address.
- Setting up iCloud Mail on Android, iPhone and desktop.
- Adding Gmail with manual IMAP and an app password, when the browser sign-in is not an option.
- Adding a shared or delegated Office 365 mailbox.
- Configuring an account for incoming mail only.
- Adding more than one account, and how many is sensible.
- Fixing an issue on the Google console if you manage your own OAuth setup.
