# Email

> Connect support mailboxes over IMAP and SMTP so customer email arrives in the shared inbox and your replies go out from the same address.

The email channel connects your support mailboxes, such as `support@example.com` and `sales@example.com`, to Giov. Giov receives mail through IMAP and sends your replies through SMTP, so customers keep writing to the address they already know.

Email is included in Pro, Business and Advanced, and in the 7-day Pro trial. On Starter, the page shows **Email is not included in this plan**.

## Mailboxes per plan

| Plan | Mailboxes |
|---|---|
| Starter | Not included |
| Pro | 1 |
| Business | 5 |
| Advanced | 10 |

**Settings → Channels → Email** lists your mailboxes and shows how many you use, for example **2 of 5 mailboxes used**. When every mailbox in your plan is used, **Add mailbox** is turned off and the page links to billing so you can upgrade.

Each mailbox works on its own: mail that arrives in a mailbox becomes a conversation for that mailbox, and your replies go out from the address the conversation came in on.

## Before you start

You need, from your email provider:

- The IMAP and SMTP server names, for example `imap.example.com` and `smtp.example.com`.
- The mailbox username and password. Many providers require an app password instead of your normal password, for example when two-step verification is on.

Both servers must support TLS. Unencrypted connections aren't accepted.

## Add a mailbox

1. Open **Settings → Channels → Email** and select **Add mailbox**.
2. Under **Mailbox identity**, enter the **Mailbox address**.
3. Under **Incoming mail (IMAP)**, enter the **Host**, choose the **Security**, and enter the **Username** and **App password**.
4. Under **Outgoing mail (SMTP)**, enter the **Host** and choose the **Security**.
5. Leave **Use the same username and password as IMAP** on, or turn it off and enter separate SMTP credentials.
6. Select **Connect and test**. Giov saves the settings and tests both servers.

When the test passes, you'll see "Mailbox connected. New email will appear in the shared inbox." If it fails, the error is shown under the form; fix the setting and select **Save and retest**.

### Security and ports

The port follows the security you choose:

| Server | TLS | STARTTLS |
|---|---|---|
| Incoming (IMAP) | 993, encrypted from connection start | 143, upgraded to TLS |
| Outgoing (SMTP) | 465, encrypted from connection start | 587, upgraded to TLS |

Passwords are encrypted at rest. To change a mailbox's settings later, select **Edit** next to it, change them and select **Save and retest**. Leave a password field blank to keep the current password.

## How email works in Giov

- **Incoming mail** from each mailbox's inbox becomes a conversation in **Inbox**. Replies from the customer join the same conversation.
- **Your replies** are sent from the mailbox the conversation came in on, to the original sender, keep the original subject, participants and email thread, and are copied to the mailbox's Sent folder.
- **Sender name.** Replies use your workspace name automatically.
- **Mail sent from your own email client** from the same mailbox, in reply to a conversation Giov already has, is added to that conversation as an outgoing message.
- **Attachments** come in with the email and can be sent with replies.
- **GiovBot** can answer email when you assign it. See [GiovBot](/docs/giovbot).
- **Contacts.** The sender address isn't treated as a verified identity, so new senders aren't merged automatically into existing contacts. An admin can merge duplicates from the contact list.

## Mailbox history

The connection brings in mail received after you connect. Existing mail in the mailbox isn't imported.

> [!NOTE]
> Importing the last 30 days of mailbox history is coming. Imported mail won't trigger GiovBot, unread counts or notifications.

## Remove a mailbox

Select **Remove** next to the mailbox and confirm. Giov stops reading and sending through that mailbox and forgets its passwords. Conversations that were already imported stay in your inbox. If you add the same address again later, it reconnects with its earlier conversations.

## Changing to a smaller plan

Giov never removes mailboxes or mail when you move to a plan with fewer mailboxes. Every connected mailbox keeps receiving customer email and sending replies. The email page shows that you have more mailboxes than your plan includes; you can't add another until you remove the extra ones or upgrade.

## Troubleshooting

| Problem | What to check |
|---|---|
| The test fails | Host names, the security option, and whether your provider requires an app password. Some providers also require IMAP access to be turned on in the mailbox's settings. |
| Replies aren't copied to Sent | The mailbox needs a standard Sent folder. The reply still reaches the customer. |
| The status shows an error | Open **Settings → Channels → Email** to see the last error, fix the setting, and select **Save and retest**. |

See [Channels](/docs/channels) for how all channels share the inbox.