Does AI Email Support Work With Gmail and Outlook

Gmail Setup

Gmail supports IMAP access through imap.gmail.com on port 993 with SSL encryption. For sending, SMTP uses smtp.gmail.com on port 587 with STARTTLS. If your Gmail account has two-factor authentication enabled (which it should), you need to generate an app-specific password through your Google account security settings rather than using your regular password.

Google Workspace accounts (formerly G Suite) use the same IMAP and SMTP servers as regular Gmail. The only difference is that your organization's admin may need to enable IMAP access in the Google Workspace admin console, as some organizations disable it by default for security reasons. Check with your IT administrator if the connection fails with valid credentials.

Gmail-Specific Considerations

• App passwords are required when two-factor authentication is enabled
• Google may flag the initial IMAP connection as a new device and send a security alert
• Workspace admins can restrict IMAP access at the organizational level
• Gmail's sending limits apply: 500 emails per day for personal accounts, 2,000 for Workspace
• Sent replies appear in your Gmail Sent folder just like manually composed emails

Outlook and Microsoft 365 Setup

Microsoft 365 (formerly Office 365) and Outlook.com support IMAP through outlook.office365.com on port 993 with SSL. SMTP uses smtp.office365.com on port 587 with STARTTLS. Authentication may use your regular password or may require an app password depending on your organization's security settings.

Organizations using Microsoft 365 with modern authentication may need to configure an app registration in Azure Active Directory for IMAP access. Some Microsoft 365 tenants have disabled basic authentication for IMAP, requiring OAuth 2.0 instead. If you encounter authentication issues, check with your IT team about the authentication policies in place.

Outlook-Specific Considerations

• Microsoft 365 Business plans include IMAP support by default
• Some organizations require OAuth authentication instead of password-based login
• Shared mailboxes can be connected using delegated access credentials
• Microsoft 365 sending limits are 10,000 recipients per day
• Replies appear in the shared Sent Items folder when using shared mailboxes

Other Email Providers

Any email provider that supports standard IMAP and SMTP works with AI email support. This includes Zoho Mail, Yahoo Mail, ProtonMail (with the ProtonMail Bridge), Fastmail, Rackspace Email, and any email hosting through cPanel, Plesk, or DirectAdmin. Custom mail servers running Postfix, Dovecot, or Exchange also work as long as IMAP is enabled.

For hosting-based email (the kind where your email comes with your web hosting plan), the IMAP and SMTP servers are typically mail.yourdomain.com, and your hosting provider's documentation or support team can confirm the exact settings and ports.

What Does Not Change

Regardless of which email provider you use, AI email support does not change how your email works. Your team continues using the same inbox through their preferred email client. Customers continue sending emails to the same address. Your email delivery, spam filtering, and storage all stay with your current provider. The AI system is simply an additional client connected to the same inbox, reading and responding alongside your team.