Connect your Cedros-hosted mailbox to Apple Mail on your Mac so you can receive messages and send replies from your business address. You will need the mailbox's server settings and a Cedros app password created for this Mac.
These instructions are for Cedros-hosted email. If your mailbox is hosted by Google Workspace, add it to Apple Mail using Google's account option and Google sign-in. A Google connection in Cedros does not turn that mailbox into a Cedros-hosted account. See Choosing Cedros email or Google Workspace if you are unsure where your mail lives.
Before you begin
Check that the mailbox is Active and that you can use it in Email → Inbox in Cedros. If the address has not been created, follow Creating personal and shared email addresses.
Have these details ready:
- The full mailbox address, including the part after @.
- The server hostname displayed by Cedros for that mailbox.
- An app password for this Mac. Your Cedros sign-in password will not work in Apple Mail.
- Access to an outside email account you control for a send-and-reply test.
Use the actual mailbox address. An alias that delivers to a mailbox is not a separate account with its own password. For a shared mailbox, confirm that you are authorized to connect it and use an app password issued for that mailbox.
Adding the account to Apple Mail does not import messages from an old provider or switch your domain's incoming mail delivery. Use Importing existing email into Cedros if you are also moving your mail history.
Get the server settings and an app password
- In Cedros, open Email → Inbox → Settings. Under Your mail, find the mailbox in Your addresses.
- Select Connect mail app. The Mail client settings dialog shows the server, full username, and secure connection settings. Copy settings copies those details; it does not create or copy a password.
- Select Open app passwords if available. You can also use the mailbox's App passwords… action. If Cedros asks you to contact the administrator, have them issue a password for this mailbox and Mac.
- In What is this password for?, enter a recognizable device label, such as “Apple Mail on work Mac.” Optionally set Expires; an expired password will stop working until replaced in Mail.
- Select Create app password. Copy the One-time app password and save it securely before closing the dialog. Use I’ve saved this password after saving it.
- Keep the displayed server settings available while you add the account in Apple Mail.
“One-time” means Cedros shows the password only once. The password continues to work until it expires or is revoked. Use it for both incoming and outgoing mail on this Mac.
Use Create app password when adding a device. Replace all… revokes every existing app password for the mailbox and would require updating its other mail apps too. Create a separate password for each device so one device can be disconnected without interrupting the others.
An administrator can also open Team → Mail addresses, then the mailbox's Mail client settings… or App passwords… action. If the hostname is missing or the mailbox is still provisioning, finish the mail setup before trying to connect.
Add the account in Apple Mail
The opening screen varies by macOS version. Apple's account setup guide includes a version selector if your screen differs.
- Open Mail on your Mac and choose Mail → Add Account.
- Enter your Cedros email address and select Continue. If a provider list appears, choose Other Mail Account. Use the manual mail-account option for Cedros-hosted mail.
- Enter your name, full Cedros mailbox address, and the Cedros app password for this Mac.
- If Mail cannot verify the account automatically and requests server details, choose IMAP as the account type. Enter the full mailbox address as User Name and the hostname from Cedros as both Incoming Mail Server and Outgoing Mail Server.
- Select Sign In when prompted. Make sure Mail is selected if macOS asks which apps should use the account, then finish setup.
- Allow the mailbox to load. Check the connection settings below if setup fails or mail does not arrive.
Use only the hostname in server fields. Do not paste https://, a webmail URL, or a hostname with a port appended. The server may differ from your website domain; copy the value Cedros gives you rather than guessing.
Check incoming and outgoing settings
Open Mail → Settings → Accounts, select the Cedros account, and choose Server Settings. If you need to enter ports or authentication manually, turn off Automatically manage connection settings in the relevant incoming or outgoing section. Apple's Server Settings reference explains these controls.
Use the settings displayed by Cedros:
| Setting | Incoming mail | Outgoing mail |
|---|---|---|
| Account or protocol | IMAP | SMTP |
| Host Name | Cedros's displayed server hostname | The same displayed server hostname |
| User Name | Full Cedros mailbox address | Full Cedros mailbox address |
| Password | App password for this Mac | The same app password |
| Port | 993 | 587 |
| Use TLS/SSL | Enabled | Enabled; port 587 uses STARTTLS |
| Authentication | Password | Password; authentication is required |
Cedros also supports outgoing port 465 with TLS. If you use that alternative, keep Use TLS/SSL enabled. Do not use port 25 as the account's outgoing submission port.
Select the outgoing server belonging to this Cedros mailbox. If you need to inspect it separately, open the outgoing Account menu and choose Edit SMTP Server List. Confirm its hostname, username, password, port, and TLS setting. Save changes with OK in that dialog and Save in the account settings when offered. See Apple's outgoing server settings reference.
Outgoing authentication needs the full address and app password even when Mail can already receive messages. Do not leave those fields empty because they appear optional, and do not use another account's sending server.
Keep Allow insecure authentication off. If Mail reports a server identity or certificate problem, confirm the hostname with your administrator and have the mail service checked before continuing.
Test receiving and sending
A successful account sign-in is only the first check. Test both directions:
- From an outside account you control, send a short message with a distinctive subject to your Cedros mailbox address.
- Confirm it appears in Apple Mail under the Cedros account. Also check Email → Inbox in Cedros to verify that both show the same mailbox.
- Reply in Apple Mail. Check From and choose the Cedros mailbox address, especially if you have several accounts on the Mac.
- Confirm that the reply arrives at the outside account with the expected sender. Reply once more and check that the conversation returns to Apple Mail.
- If you regularly use attachments, repeat the test with a small file and confirm it opens at the receiving end.
If receiving works but sending fails, review SMTP credentials and the selected outgoing server first. Your administrator must also have completed Setting up outgoing email delivery. Changing a setting in Apple Mail does not finish the site's delivery-provider setup.
IMAP gives Apple Mail access to the mailbox stored on Cedros. Changes to server mail, including moving or deleting messages, can affect what you see on other connected devices. Use test messages for setup checks.
Fix common connection problems
Start with the exact status message. Apple Mail may show a warning or offline icon beside the account; select it for details. Apple's send-and-receive troubleshooting guide describes these checks.
Mail cannot verify the account. Check the full username, app password, and both server hostnames. If Mail offers manual fields, use the settings above. If it still fails after the details are correct, check the mailbox's Active status and contact the administrator with the error.
Mail repeatedly asks for a password. Confirm you are using a Cedros app password rather than your sign-in password. Check whether it expired, was revoked, or stopped working after the mailbox was suspended. Issue a new password if needed and update it in both incoming and outgoing settings. Repeatedly entering the same rejected credential will not repair it.
You can receive but cannot send. Check that SMTP authentication is Password, both SMTP credential fields are filled in, and the selected outgoing server belongs to this mailbox. Use the mailbox address as From. If sending also fails in Cedros, have the administrator check sending troubleshooting.
The server cannot be reached or its identity cannot be verified. Confirm your Mac is online and the hostname matches Cedros exactly. Give the administrator the error and the port that fails. Do not accept an unexpected certificate or turn off encryption to get past the message.
Messages appear in Cedros but not in Apple Mail. Confirm you are viewing the right account and folder, and check for an offline state or active message filter. If no messages reach Cedros either, investigate the mailbox's storage, status, and missing incoming email. If only older messages are missing from the app, open one in Cedros and check for an encrypted cold-storage notice. Follow Read or restore a cold-stored message if you need a local copy in the app.
An old mailbox looks empty. Connecting a new Cedros mailbox does not copy the old provider's mail. Check which account is selected and whether a separate mail import is needed before removing the old account.
Avoid removing and re-adding the account as the first recovery step. If you do need to remove it, first confirm that important messages are stored on the server or safely copied elsewhere; Apple notes that removing an account removes its messages from that Mac.
If you need help, provide your macOS version, mailbox address, the displayed server hostname, the exact error, and whether receiving, sending, or both fail. Do not include the app password or private message content. See Getting help and reporting a problem.
Replace a password or disconnect this Mac
For step-by-step credential changes, follow Creating, replacing, and revoking email app passwords.
If this Mac needs a new app password, create one for the same mailbox, save it, and enter it in Apple Mail's incoming and outgoing server settings. Complete the send-and-reply test, then revoke the old device password when it is no longer needed.
If the Mac is lost or should no longer have mailbox access, revoke its labeled app password in Cedros. Removing an account from Apple Mail and revoking its credential are separate actions. Revocation stops that password from authenticating; it does not erase messages already downloaded to the Mac.
Use the individual Revoke action for this device's password. Reserve Replace all… for situations where every app password for the mailbox must stop working.