Adding your Cedros email to Outlook

Connect your Cedros-hosted mailbox to Outlook with an app password and the server settings supplied by Cedros. This guide covers new and classic Outlook for Windows, Outlook for Mac, and Outlook for iPhone, iPad, and Android.

If your mailbox is hosted by Google Workspace, use Outlook's Google account setup instead. See Choosing Cedros email or Google Workspace if you are unsure where your mail is hosted.

Before you begin

Confirm that the mailbox is Active and works in Email → Inbox in Cedros. If you still need an address, follow Creating personal and shared email addresses.

Have these details ready:

• Your full mailbox address, including its domain.
• The mail server hostname displayed by Cedros.
• An app password created for this Outlook connection.
• An outside email account you control for testing delivery.

Use the actual mailbox address. A receiving alias does not have its own password, and access to a shared inbox does not automatically give you permission to issue its credentials. Ask the mailbox administrator if needed.

This setup uses IMAP for incoming mail and SMTP for sending. It does not connect Cedros calendars or contacts to Outlook. Microsoft describes IMAP's mail-only scope. These instructions are for the installed Outlook app; to read your Cedros mailbox in a browser, use Email → Inbox in Cedros.

Adding Outlook does not migrate old messages or change incoming delivery for your domain. Keep any previous account available until you have finished importing existing email and verified the result.

Create an app password in Cedros

1. Open Email → Inbox → Settings. Under Your mail → Your addresses, find the mailbox and select Connect mail app.
2. Keep Mail client settings available. Copy settings copies the hostname, username, and ports; it does not copy a password.
3. Select Open app passwords, or use App passwords… from the mailbox's actions. If the option is unavailable, ask your administrator to issue the credential. Administrators can also use Team → Mail addresses → App passwords….
4. In What is this password for?, enter a recognizable name such as “Outlook on work laptop.” Leave Expires empty unless you want the credential to stop working at a chosen time.
5. Select Create app password. Securely save the One-time app password, then select I’ve saved this password before closing the dialog.

Use this password for both incoming and outgoing mail. It is shown once but remains valid until it expires or is revoked. Your Cedros sign-in password and Microsoft account password are separate and will not authenticate this mailbox connection.

Use a separate app password for each independently configured device or connection. Avoid Replace all… when adding Outlook: it revokes every existing app password for this mailbox and interrupts other mail apps.

Check the server settings

Use the hostname Cedros displays for this mailbox in both server fields. Do not substitute a Microsoft server, your website URL, or a hostname guessed from the email domain.

Setting	Value
Incoming account type	IMAP
Incoming and outgoing server	The hostname displayed in Cedros
Incoming and outgoing username	Your full mailbox address
Incoming and outgoing password	The Cedros app password for this connection
Incoming port and encryption	993, SSL/TLS
Outgoing port and encryption	587, STARTTLS
Outgoing authentication	Required, using the same mailbox address and app password

Cedros also supports SMTP on 465 with SSL/TLS. Use that pairing if your Outlook version offers SSL/TLS rather than STARTTLS for outgoing mail. Keep the port and encryption method paired correctly; port 25 is not the submission port for this setup.

In desktop forms with separate port fields, enter just the hostname in the server field. Outlook mobile can require hostname:port; see its section below.

If classic Outlook offers Secure Password Authentication (SPA), leave it off. Cedros uses the app password over an encrypted connection. SPA is a separate authentication method, not the switch that enables SSL/TLS.

Add the account in your version of Outlook

Account labels vary between Outlook releases. Use the section for the app installed on your device and keep the Cedros settings above beside you.

New Outlook for Windows

1. Open View → View settings, then Accounts → Your accounts. Select Add Account, enter your mailbox address, and continue. Some versions label the accounts page Email accounts.
2. Select IMAP when asked for a provider. If Outlook chooses the wrong provider, use its provider selector to change to IMAP.
3. Enter your Cedros app password and expand Show more to inspect the server fields. Fill the incoming hostname, full username if requested, port 993, and SSL/TLS.
4. In the SMTP fields, enter the same hostname, full mailbox address, and app password. Use 587 with STARTTLS, or 465 with SSL/TLS.
5. Continue through verification. Read any Microsoft Cloud sync notice before accepting it, then finish setup and open the mailbox.

Microsoft's Windows account guide covers the account entry point. The expanded IMAP form is also illustrated in IONOS's manual Outlook walkthrough; use the Cedros values above for every server and credential field.

Classic Outlook for Windows

1. Choose File → Add Account and enter your mailbox address.
2. Expand Advanced options, enable manual account setup, and continue. Choose IMAP.
3. Enter the Cedros server settings above for incoming and outgoing mail. Keep SPA off if offered.
4. Supply your Cedros app password when requested, complete verification, and finish setup.

If receiving works but sending does not, open File → Account Settings → Server Settings for this account. Inspect outgoing authentication and use the same username and password as incoming mail. Older dialogs expose these controls through More Settings. Microsoft's account-settings guide explains the available editing paths.

Outlook for Mac

1. Open Outlook → Settings → Accounts → Add Account. You can also reach accounts through Tools → Accounts.
2. Enter the full mailbox address and continue. If Outlook identifies the wrong provider, use the Not [provider]? link and choose the IMAP setup option.
3. Decide whether to use Microsoft Cloud syncing. Where offered, Sync directly with [provider] switches to a direct connection. Keep IMAP selected for Cedros.
4. Enter the Cedros app password and the incoming/outgoing settings above wherever requested. Check both sets of credentials and the port/encryption pairings, then complete setup.

See Microsoft's Mac account guide and cloud or direct connection instructions for the screens in your release. If server settings are hidden, use the available manual or advanced options rather than accepting another provider's servers.

Outlook on iPhone, iPad, or Android

1. Open your account menu or avatar, then Settings. Under mail accounts, choose Add Mail Account → Add Email Account.
2. Enter the full Cedros mailbox address. If Outlook detects a different provider, tap Not a [provider] account and select IMAP.
3. Open Advanced Settings or Show advanced settings when needed. Enter the full mailbox address and Cedros app password in both the incoming and outgoing sections.
4. Enter the Cedros hostname for both servers. If there is no separate port field, append :993 to the incoming hostname and :465 to the outgoing hostname, using SSL/TLS. Where separate encryption controls are available, 587 with STARTTLS is also supported for sending.
5. Sign in, complete the setup prompts, and open the mailbox. Review any cloud sync notice before continuing.

Replace the hostname with the actual value from Cedros; do not type the word “hostname.” Microsoft's mobile IMAP guide explains advanced setup and the colon-separated port format.

Understand Microsoft Cloud syncing

New Outlook and Outlook mobile can sync non-Microsoft mail through Microsoft's cloud. When you use that mode, a copy of your mail is synchronized to Microsoft data centers. Read Microsoft's cloud sync explanation, and follow your organization's rules for where work email may be stored.

Outlook for Mac offers the direct-connection choice described above. Do not assume the same choice appears in every Outlook version. If you need direct-only access and your app does not offer it, ask your administrator which mail app to use before completing setup.

Test receiving, sending, and folders

1. From an outside account you control, send a new message with a distinctive subject to the Cedros mailbox.
2. Confirm that it appears in Email → Inbox in Cedros and in the correct Outlook inbox. Allow the initial synchronization to complete.
3. Reply from Outlook. Check From and select the Cedros mailbox address, especially when Outlook contains several accounts.
4. Confirm delivery at the outside account, then reply again and verify the response in Outlook. Test a small attachment if you use attachments regularly.
5. Check the mailbox's Sent folder and any folders you rely on. Compare them with Cedros so you know which messages are stored on the server.

An account added successfully, a green connection test, or a message in Sent does not establish delivery to the outside recipient. If sending also fails in Cedros, review Setting up outgoing email delivery with the administrator.

Fix common problems

Outlook keeps asking for a password. Re-enter the mailbox's full address and its Cedros app password in both server sections. Check for copied spaces, an expired or revoked credential, or the wrong mailbox. A Microsoft password reset will not replace a Cedros app password. If necessary, create a new Cedros credential and update Outlook.

You can receive but cannot send. Check the outgoing hostname, port, encryption, and authentication separately. Supply the full address and app password even if receiving already works. Send from the mailbox address rather than assuming an alias is authorized. If only one network fails, include that detail when asking for help. Follow Why can I receive email but not send it? if the problem remains.

Outlook opens an Exchange, Microsoft 365, or another provider's sign-in page. Return to account-type selection and choose IMAP for the Cedros-hosted mailbox. Do not create a Microsoft mailbox to fix this connection or enter the Cedros app password into an unrelated provider's login.

The server or certificate is rejected. Compare the hostname exactly with Cedros's displayed settings and keep encryption enabled. Ask the administrator to resolve hostname, certificate, or network failures. Do not accept an unexpected certificate or turn off encryption to complete setup.

Messages appear in Cedros but not Outlook. Check the selected account, folder, filters, and any Focused/Other inbox split. In classic Outlook, missing folders may need subscription: open IMAP Folders from the account's folder menu, query the folders, and subscribe to those required. Microsoft documents IMAP folder subscriptions. If new messages are absent from Cedros too, check mailbox 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.

Old mail, calendars, or contacts are missing. Account setup only connects what is available in the Cedros mailbox. Mail at a previous provider requires a separate import; local Outlook archives are not automatically uploaded. IMAP does not sync calendars or contacts.

The app-password controls or account-add option are unavailable. Ask your Cedros administrator to issue a credential, or your device administrator about Outlook restrictions. Do not remove organizational management controls to add the account.

Before removing and re-adding an account, confirm that important messages are present in Cedros or safely saved elsewhere. Preserve any local archives or unsent work. For support, provide the Outlook version, device operating system, mailbox address, displayed hostname, exact error, and whether sending, receiving, or both fail. Never include the app password. See Getting help and reporting a problem.

Replace the password or disconnect Outlook

For step-by-step credential changes, follow Creating, replacing, and revoking email app passwords.

For routine replacement, create and save a new Cedros app password, update Outlook's incoming and outgoing credentials, and repeat the delivery test. Then revoke the old credential. If the connection uses Microsoft Cloud, make sure the changed credentials work in the Outlook clients that use that connection.

To stop a lost or retired device or connection from authenticating, use the individual Revoke action in Cedros. This does not erase mail already downloaded or copied to a cloud service. Replace all… revokes every app password for the mailbox, so reserve it for situations where all connections must be replaced.

To remove Outlook access, open that account's settings and review the removal prompt. New Outlook can offer removal from this device or all devices; the latter also removes associated Microsoft Cloud data and may delete cloud-only items. Save anything you need first. Removing the account from Outlook does not close the Cedros mailbox. Microsoft's Windows account guide explains removal scope and its consequences.