This guide walks you through adding your HOSTDOG email to Mozilla Thunderbird with IMAP. Thunderbird often auto-detects server settings, but if it does not, you can enter them manually using the reference below.
Prerequisites
- An active HOSTDOG hosting account with at least one email account created
- Your email address and password
- Mozilla Thunderbird installed (download free from thunderbird.net)
Server settings reference
| Setting | Value |
|---|---|
| Incoming server (IMAP) | mail.yourdomain.com |
| IMAP port | 993 (SSL/TLS) |
| Outgoing server (SMTP) | mail.yourdomain.com |
| SMTP port | 465 (SSL/TLS) |
| Username | Your full email address (e.g., info@yourdomain.com) |
| Authentication | Normal password |
For a complete list of all protocols and ports, see HOSTDOG email server settings.
Launch Thunderbird. If this is your first time, the account setup wizard appears automatically. Otherwise, go to Account Settings → Account Actions → Add Mail Account.
Fill in the following:
- Your full name — the name recipients will see (e.g., "John Smith")
- Email address — your full email (e.g.,
info@yourdomain.com) - Password — the password for this email account
Click Continue.
Thunderbird will attempt to auto-detect the server settings. If it succeeds and shows IMAP with SSL/TLS on port 993 and SMTP with SSL/TLS on port 465, click Done to complete the setup.
If auto-detection fails or shows incorrect settings, click Configure manually and enter the values from the settings reference table above.
If you entered settings manually, click Re-test to verify the connection. Once Thunderbird confirms the settings are valid, click Done.
Your HOSTDOG email account is now configured. Thunderbird will start downloading your emails immediately.
Troubleshooting
Click Configure manually and enter the settings from the reference table. Make sure both the incoming and outgoing server addresses are mail.yourdomain.com (replace with your actual domain), with IMAP port 993 and SMTP port 465, both using SSL/TLS.
If Thunderbird shows a certificate warning, the SSL certificate may be issued for the server hostname rather than your domain. Click Confirm Security Exception to proceed — your connection is still encrypted. To avoid this, use the server hostname from your hosting welcome email if available.
- If you can receive but not send: check the outgoing (SMTP) server is
mail.yourdomain.com, port465with SSL/TLS. If that does not work, try port587with STARTTLS. - If you can send but not receive: verify the incoming server is
mail.yourdomain.com, port993with SSL/TLS, and that IMAP is selected (not POP3). - For both cases, confirm the username is your full email address.