Connecting a mailbox
A mailbox is a shared inbox — support@yourcompany.com, say — that Held
Open fetches mail into and sends replies from. Setting one up is a
workspace-admin task, done in two steps: create the mailbox, then connect
it.
1. Create the mailbox
Section titled “1. Create the mailbox”Go to Settings → Mailboxes → New mailbox. The dialog only asks for a
Name (e.g. “Support”) and an Email address (e.g.
support@example.com) — creating the mailbox doesn’t collect IMAP/SMTP
yet, those come next. You’ll be dropped straight into the new mailbox’s
settings.
Until it’s connected, the mailbox list shows it tagged “No IMAP configured.”
2. Connect it
Section titled “2. Connect it”On the mailbox’s settings page, open the Connection tab. There are two independent halves — receiving and sending — plus an OAuth card that only appears if you choose OAuth for either one.
Receiving (IMAP)
Section titled “Receiving (IMAP)”- Server / Port — your provider’s IMAP host (default port
993). - Encryption — None, SSL, TLS, or STARTTLS (SSL is the default).
- Authentication — Password, or OAuth 2.0 (XOAUTH2) for Gmail and Microsoft 365 (see below).
- Username / Password — hidden entirely if you chose OAuth.
- Folders to fetch — defaults to
INBOX. - Sent folder — optional, if you also want Held Open reading a provider-side Sent folder.
- After fetching a message — Leave it, Mark read, Move, or Delete; Move needs a folder name.
- Validate TLS certificate — checked by default.
Test IMAP connects using whatever’s currently in the form — including unsaved changes — and lists the folders it finds. Save connection settings is separate: testing doesn’t save, and saving doesn’t test. Do both.
Sending (SMTP)
Section titled “Sending (SMTP)”Same shape: Server, Port (default 587), Encryption (None,
SSL, or TLS — TLS is the default), Authentication, and
Username/Password if not using OAuth. Test SMTP sends a real
test email, prefilled to your own address.
Connecting via OAuth (Gmail or Microsoft 365)
Section titled “Connecting via OAuth (Gmail or Microsoft 365)”If you set either side’s Authentication to OAuth, an OAuth connection card appears: pick the Provider (“Gmail / Google Workspace” or “Microsoft 365 / Outlook” — these are the only two), enter your Client ID and Client secret, then click Connect. That opens the provider’s consent screen in the same tab; approving it brings you back connected. Disconnect is available once connected.
Picking a provider here also fills in that provider’s known server/port defaults for you.
Things worth knowing before you fill this in
Section titled “Things worth knowing before you fill this in”- Passwords are write-only. Leaving a password field blank on save keeps whatever’s already stored — it doesn’t clear it.
- Ports aren’t range-checked. Neither the form nor the server validates that a port number is sensible, only that it’s set.
- You need the mailbox’s Owner grant to see or change credentials — being a workspace admin isn’t automatically enough if someone scoped your mailbox access down. See mailbox access and teammates.