---
title: "IMAP, POP3, and SMTP Connection Settings"
description: "Host, port, and security settings for IMAP, POP3, and SMTP. Which protocol to pick, and webmail access without installing a client."
canonical_url: "https://smtp.dev/docs/setup/account/"
last_updated: "2026-08-16T22:38:03.956Z"
---

## Connection Settings

<table>
<thead>
  <tr>
    <th>
      Protocol
    </th>
    
    <th>
      Host
    </th>
    
    <th>
      Port
    </th>
    
    <th>
      Security
    </th>
  </tr>
</thead>

<tbody>
  <tr>
    <td>
      IMAP
    </td>
    
    <td>
      imap.smtp.dev
    </td>
    
    <td>
      993
    </td>
    
    <td>
      SSL
    </td>
  </tr>
  
  <tr>
    <td>
      IMAP
    </td>
    
    <td>
      imap.smtp.dev
    </td>
    
    <td>
      143
    </td>
    
    <td>
      None
    </td>
  </tr>
  
  <tr>
    <td>
      POP3
    </td>
    
    <td>
      pop.smtp.dev
    </td>
    
    <td>
      995
    </td>
    
    <td>
      SSL
    </td>
  </tr>
  
  <tr>
    <td>
      SMTP
    </td>
    
    <td>
      send.smtp.dev
    </td>
    
    <td>
      587
    </td>
    
    <td>
      TLS
    </td>
  </tr>
</tbody>
</table>

Your username is your full email address (e.g. `user@example.com`) and the password is the one you set when creating the account.

<note>

Port 143 is an unencrypted fallback for environments where SSL connections are blocked. Use port 993 when possible.

</note>

### Which Protocol to Use

- **IMAP**: best for most cases. Messages stay on the server, accessible from multiple clients. Use this to test how your app's emails look in Thunderbird, Apple Mail, etc.
- **POP3**: downloads messages to your client and can remove them from the server. Pick this for offline access or to test POP3-specific behavior.
- **SMTP**: for sending test emails between accounts from a client or application.

## Webmail

You can also access your emails through [webmail.smtp.dev](https://webmail.smtp.dev) without installing anything.

Direct login link with credentials pre-filled:

```text
https://webmail.smtp.dev/?_task=login&_action=auth&_user=user@example.com&_pass=yourpassword
```

## Limitations

You can only send to addresses that exist as accounts in your system. Receiving has no restrictions.