Ascend Documentation

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IMAP Email Setup Guide ​

Connect any IMAP-compatible email account to Ascend — including Yahoo Mail, FastMail, iCloud Mail, AOL, Proton Mail, and more.

Looking for Gmail?

See the dedicated Connect Gmail via IMAP guide.

Quick Setup with Provider Presets ​

The IMAP connection dialog includes one-click presets for all major providers. Just:

  1. Go to Settings → Integrations
  2. Click Connect on the Other Email Provider (IMAP) card
  3. Click your provider's tile to auto-fill the server settings
  4. Enter your email address and password (or App Password)
  5. Click Connect

Provider-by-Provider Instructions ​

Yahoo Mail ​

Domains: yahoo.com, ymail.com, rocketmail.com, and regional variants

Yahoo requires an App Password — your regular Yahoo password will not work.

  1. Sign in to Yahoo Account Security
  2. Under Recent activity, click Manage app passwords
  3. Select Other app, enter Ascend, then click Generate
  4. Copy the 16-character password
  5. In Ascend, select the Yahoo Mail preset and paste the App Password
SettingValue
IMAP Hostimap.mail.yahoo.com
Port993
SecuritySSL/TLS

Yahoo App Password help →

FastMail ​

Domains: fastmail.com, fastmail.fm

FastMail uses App Passwords for third-party clients.

  1. Log in to FastMail Settings
  2. Go to Privacy & Security → App Passwords
  3. Click New App Password, set the access to Mail (IMAP, SMTP), and name it Ascend
  4. Copy the generated password
  5. In Ascend, select the FastMail preset and paste the App Password
SettingValue
IMAP Hostimap.fastmail.com
Port993
SecuritySSL/TLS

FastMail App Password help →

iCloud Mail ​

Domains: icloud.com, me.com, mac.com

Apple requires an App-Specific Password for any non-Apple email client.

  1. Go to appleid.apple.com and sign in
  2. Under Sign-In and Security, click App-Specific Passwords
  3. Click Generate an app-specific password, label it Ascend
  4. Copy the password (shown only once)
  5. In Ascend, select the iCloud Mail preset and paste it

IMAP must be enabled

Confirm IMAP is on in iCloud.com → Mail → Settings → Enable iCloud Mail.

SettingValue
IMAP Hostimap.mail.me.com
Port993
SecuritySSL/TLS

Apple App-Specific Passwords help →

AOL Mail ​

Domains: aol.com, aim.com

AOL, like Yahoo, requires an App Password.

  1. Go to AOL Account Security
  2. Click Generate app password
  3. Select Other app, name it Ascend, and click Get Password
  4. Copy the password
  5. In Ascend, select the AOL Mail preset and paste it
SettingValue
IMAP Hostimap.aol.com
Port993
SecuritySSL/TLS

AOL App Password help →

Proton Mail ​

Domains: proton.me, protonmail.com, pm.me

Proton Mail uses end-to-end encryption. To access it via IMAP you must install the Proton Mail Bridge desktop app, which runs locally and decrypts mail on the fly.

  1. Download and install Proton Mail Bridge on your computer
  2. Sign in to the Bridge app with your Proton account
  3. In Bridge, go to Mailboxes and note the IMAP credentials shown for your account
  4. In Ascend, select the Proton Mail preset — it sets the host to 127.0.0.1 (localhost) automatically
  5. Enter the Bridge username and password (not your Proton account password)

Bridge must stay running

Proton Mail Bridge must be open and running on your computer for Ascend to sync your mail. If you close Bridge, sync will pause.

SettingValue
IMAP Host127.0.0.1 (localhost)
Port1143
SecuritySTARTTLS

Proton Mail Bridge setup guide →

Zoho Mail ​

Domains: zoho.com, zohomail.com

  1. In Zoho Mail, go to Settings → Mail Accounts → IMAP Access and ensure IMAP is enabled
  2. Use your regular Zoho account password (no App Password needed unless you have MFA enabled)
  3. In Ascend, select the Zoho Mail preset and enter your credentials
SettingValue
IMAP Hostimap.zoho.com
Port993
SecuritySSL/TLS

Zoho IMAP setup help →

Custom / Other Providers ​

If your provider isn't listed, use the manual fields in the IMAP dialog:

  • IMAP Host: Check your provider's help docs (e.g. mail.yourdomain.com)
  • Port: Usually 993 for SSL/TLS, or 143 for STARTTLS
  • Security: SSL/TLS is recommended; use STARTTLS only if the provider requires it

Troubleshooting ​

"Authentication failed"

  • You used your regular password instead of an App Password — generate one per the steps above
  • Check you typed the email address correctly
  • Try disconnecting and reconnecting

"Connection refused" or timeout

  • Confirm IMAP access is enabled in your provider's settings
  • Check the host and port are correct for your provider
  • For Proton Mail: ensure Bridge is running

Sync stopped working

  • Your App Password may have been revoked or rotated — generate a new one and reconnect

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