> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.bubblav.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Email (IMAP)

> Connect any email mailbox via IMAP to bring support emails into your unified BubblaV inbox and reply directly

Bring your support emails into the same BubblaV inbox as your live chat, Messenger, WhatsApp, and other channels. Connect any mailbox over IMAP, triage inbound email alongside everything else, and reply by email directly from the dashboard — keeping the original thread intact.

## Why Connect Email?

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="One Unified Inbox" icon="inbox">
    Triage chat, social DMs, and email conversations in a single place
  </Card>

  <Card title="Reply by Email" icon="reply">
    Agent replies are sent over SMTP and thread correctly in the customer's mail client
  </Card>

  <Card title="Any Provider" icon="mail">
    Works with Gmail, Outlook/Microsoft 365, and any custom-domain mailbox that supports IMAP
  </Card>

  <Card title="Attachments" icon="paperclip">
    Inbound attachments are stored and shown with the conversation
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

<Note>
  The Email channel is a **human-managed** inbox by default: inbound emails create a support conversation your team triages and replies to. Optionally, turn on **AI Auto-Reply** (per mailbox, on the configure page) and the chatbot will answer inbound emails automatically from your knowledge base — with a greeting and signature you configure. Replying to a thread yourself pauses the AI there.
</Note>

## Prerequisites

* A mailbox that supports **IMAP** (for receiving) and **SMTP** (for sending replies).
* **IMAP access enabled** in your email provider's settings. Gmail, Zoho, and Outlook all require you to turn IMAP on for the mailbox before it can be polled.
* The mailbox **login credentials**: your username (the full email address) and a password. If two-factor authentication is on, your regular account password will be rejected — you must use the provider's **App Password**:
  * **Gmail**: Google Account → Security → 2-Step Verification → **App passwords**.
  * **Zoho**: Zoho Mail → Settings → Mail Accounts → **IMAP/POP Access** → enable IMAP, then generate an **App Password** under the same section.
  * **Outlook / Microsoft 365**: Microsoft account → Security → Advanced security options → **App passwords**.

## Setup Steps

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open the Email integration">
    In your dashboard, go to **Integrations** and find **Email (IMAP)** under the Communication category.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Enter your mailbox details">
    Provide your IMAP host and port, SMTP host and port, username, password (or App Password), and the address replies should be sent from.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Connect">
    BubblaV verifies both the IMAP and SMTP login before saving. If both succeed, your mailbox is connected and polling begins automatically.
  </Step>
</Steps>

### Common provider settings

| Provider                | IMAP                        | SMTP                      |
| ----------------------- | --------------------------- | ------------------------- |
| Gmail                   | `imap.gmail.com:993`        | `smtp.gmail.com:587`      |
| Zoho (global)           | `imap.zoho.com:993`         | `smtp.zoho.com:465`       |
| Zoho (EU)               | `imappro.zoho.eu:993`       | `smtppro.zoho.eu:465`     |
| Outlook / Microsoft 365 | `outlook.office365.com:993` | `smtp.office365.com:587`  |
| Custom domain / hosting | Your provider's IMAP host   | Your provider's SMTP host |

TLS is automatic based on the port: **993** and **465** use implicit TLS, while **143** and **587** use STARTTLS. You don't need to configure TLS separately.

## Managing Your Integration

* **New mail** is fetched automatically every couple of minutes and appears as a conversation in **Live Support**, tagged with an Email badge.
* **Reply** from the conversation view — your reply is sent over SMTP from your connected address and threaded under the customer's original email.
* **Change credentials**: disconnect and reconnect with the new details.
* **Disconnect** from the integration's configure page to stop polling.

## How Replies Are Threaded

Each reply includes the correct `In-Reply-To`, `References`, and `Re:` subject headers so it lands inside the customer's existing email conversation in Gmail, Outlook, Apple Mail, and other clients — rather than starting a new thread.