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The Email channel allows you to manage customer support emails directly from Chatwoot. All incoming emails appear as conversations in your inbox, and your replies are sent from your configured email address.

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Features

  • Two-way email communication - Send and receive emails
  • IMAP support - Fetch incoming emails automatically
  • SMTP configuration - Send replies from your domain
  • Email forwarding - Forward emails to Chatwoot
  • Thread preservation - Maintain email conversation threads
  • Attachment support - Handle file attachments
  • Multiple providers - Gmail, Microsoft, custom SMTP/IMAP

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Setup Methods

There are two ways to set up an email inbox: Forward emails from your existing email account to Chatwoot.
1

Create email inbox in Chatwoot

Navigate to Settings → Inboxes → Add Inbox → EmailEnter your support email address (e.g., [email protected])
2

Get forwarding address

Chatwoot will generate a unique forwarding address like:
[email protected]
3

Set up email forwarding

In your email provider, forward emails to the Chatwoot address.Gmail:
  1. Go to Settings → Forwarding and POP/IMAP
  2. Add forwarding address
  3. Confirm forwarding email from Chatwoot
Microsoft/Outlook:
  1. Settings → Mail → Forwarding
  2. Add the Chatwoot forwarding address
Custom domain/cPanel: Add email forwarder in your hosting control panel
4

Configure SMTP for sending (optional)

To send replies from your email address, configure SMTP settings in the inbox configuration.

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Method 2: IMAP/SMTP (Full Integration)

Connect Chatwoot directly to your email server.
1

Gather IMAP/SMTP credentials

You’ll need:
  • IMAP server address and port
  • SMTP server address and port
  • Email address and password
  • SSL/TLS settings
2

Create email inbox

Go to Settings → Inboxes → Add Inbox → Email
3

Configure IMAP (Incoming)

Enable IMAP and enter:
  • Address: IMAP server (e.g., imap.gmail.com)
  • Port: Usually 993 for SSL
  • Login: Your email address
  • Password: Email password or app password
  • Enable SSL: Check if server uses SSL
4

Configure SMTP (Outgoing)

Enable SMTP and enter:
  • Address: SMTP server (e.g., smtp.gmail.com)
  • Port: Usually 587 (STARTTLS) or 465 (SSL)
  • Login: Your email address
  • Password: Email password or app password
  • Authentication: Usually ‘login’
  • Enable STARTTLS: Check for port 587
  • Enable SSL/TLS: Check for port 465
5

Test and save

Click Test Connection to verify settings, then save the inbox.

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Provider-Specific Setup

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Gmail

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Microsoft 365 / Outlook

IMAP Settings:
  • Server: outlook.office365.com
  • Port: 993
  • SSL: Enabled
SMTP Settings:
  • Server: smtp.office365.com
  • Port: 587
  • STARTTLS: Enabled
Microsoft accounts may require OAuth authentication. Check your organization’s security policies.

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Custom Domain (cPanel/Plesk)

Ask your hosting provider for IMAP/SMTP details. Common settings: IMAP:
  • Server: mail.yourdomain.com
  • Port: 993 (SSL) or 143 (STARTTLS)
SMTP:
  • Server: mail.yourdomain.com
  • Port: 465 (SSL) or 587 (STARTTLS)

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Email Configuration Options

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Inbox Settings

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email
string
required
Your support email address
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forward_to_email
string
Chatwoot-generated forwarding address for incoming emails

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IMAP (Incoming) Settings

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imap_enabled
boolean
default:"false"
Enable IMAP to fetch incoming emails
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imap_address
string
IMAP server address (e.g., imap.gmail.com)
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imap_port
integer
IMAP port (typically 993 for SSL, 143 for STARTTLS)
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imap_login
string
IMAP login username (usually your email address)
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imap_password
string
IMAP password (encrypted at rest)
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imap_enable_ssl
boolean
default:"true"
Enable SSL/TLS for IMAP connection

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SMTP (Outgoing) Settings

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smtp_enabled
boolean
default:"false"
Enable SMTP to send emails
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smtp_address
string
SMTP server address (e.g., smtp.gmail.com)
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smtp_port
integer
SMTP port (typically 587 for STARTTLS, 465 for SSL)
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smtp_login
string
SMTP login username
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smtp_password
string
SMTP password (encrypted at rest)
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smtp_authentication
string
default:"login"
Authentication method (login, plain, cram_md5)
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smtp_enable_starttls_auto
boolean
default:"true"
Enable STARTTLS (port 587)
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smtp_enable_ssl_tls
boolean
default:"false"
Enable SSL/TLS (port 465)
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smtp_openssl_verify_mode
string
default:"none"
SSL certificate verification mode (none, peer, client_once, fail_if_no_peer_cert)

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Email Workflow

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Incoming Emails

  1. Customer sends email to [email protected]
  2. Email is forwarded to Chatwoot or fetched via IMAP
  3. Chatwoot creates a new conversation with the email content
  4. Agents receive notification and can reply
  5. Email thread is preserved with In-Reply-To and References headers

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Outgoing Emails

  1. Agent replies in Chatwoot conversation
  2. Reply is sent via SMTP from your configured email address
  3. Customer receives email from [email protected]
  4. Customer’s reply comes back to Chatwoot
  5. Conversation thread continues

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Best Practices

Use email forwarding for simplest setup
Configure SMTP to send from your domain
Enable IMAP to automatically fetch emails
Use app passwords for Gmail/Microsoft accounts
Test email sending before going live
Set up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records for deliverability
Monitor IMAP sync for errors

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Troubleshooting

For Email Forwarding:
  • Verify forwarding is set up correctly in your email provider
  • Check spam folder in your email account
  • Ensure forwarding address is correct
For IMAP:
  • Test IMAP credentials with an email client (Thunderbird, Outlook)
  • Check IMAP server address and port
  • Verify SSL/TLS settings
  • Check Chatwoot logs for IMAP errors
  • Verify SMTP settings are correct
  • Test SMTP with an email client
  • Check SMTP authentication method
  • Ensure port and SSL/TLS settings match your provider
  • Check if your email provider blocks less secure apps
  • For Gmail, use App Password instead of regular password
  • Chatwoot uses In-Reply-To and References headers to maintain threads
  • Check if your SMTP provider preserves these headers
  • Verify Message-ID is being set correctly
  • For Gmail: Use App Password with 2FA enabled
  • For Microsoft: Check if OAuth is required
  • Verify username is correct (usually full email address)
  • Try re-entering password
  • Check if account requires 2FA or has security restrictions

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Advanced Configuration

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Environment Variables (Self-Hosted)

For self-hosted installations, you can configure global email settings: 
# SMTP Configuration
SMTP_ADDRESS=smtp.gmail.com
SMTP_PORT=587
SMTP_DOMAIN=yourdomain.com
SMTP_USERNAME=[email protected]
SMTP_PASSWORD=your-password
SMTP_AUTHENTICATION=login
SMTP_ENABLE_STARTTLS_AUTO=true

# Email Sender
MAILER_SENDER_EMAIL=[email protected]
See Email Setup Guide for complete configuration.

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