IMAP and Individual Mailboxes – mxHero Help Center

Mailbox rules (the User Mailboxes target) normally use organization-wide access to Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace. Use this page when that isn't possible: to read a mailbox on any IMAP server, or to connect a single Gmail or Office 365 mailbox with that user's own sign-in.

Connection	Use it when	Limits
Organization: Imap Server	The mailbox is on a server that is not Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace	Copy only: no moving, deleting or labeling of mail
Individual Gmail mailbox	You can't install the mxHERO app for the whole Google domain, or need one mailbox only	Only that user's mailbox
Individual Office 365 mailbox	You can't grant admin consent, or need one mailbox only	That user's mailbox, and other mailboxes the user can open

For organization-wide access, see Office 365 directory and mailbox access and Google Workspace directory and mailbox access.

Before you begin

IMAP: the server's host name and IMAP port, the mailbox user name and password, and the authentication type (PLAIN or LOGIN). The server must accept IMAP connections from the internet. Many providers block password sign-in for IMAP by default; check that it is allowed for the mailbox.
Individual accounts: the mailbox owner (or someone with their password) signs in once to grant access.
A cloud storage account to save to. See Storage overview.

Connect an IMAP mailbox

You enter the IMAP details in the rule itself.

Open Rules › Create a Rule and choose Copy Emails.
On the Target step, select User Mailboxes.
In Target all emails from this provider:, choose Organization: Imap Server.
Under Imap server configuration:, fill in the IMAP settings:
- Imap server account (the mailbox user name) and Imap server password.
- Imap server host and Imap server port. The port defaults to 993.
- Authentication type: Plain or Login.
- Use SSL: turn it on if the server requires an encrypted connection. It is off by default.
Click Test configuration and wait for the connection to be confirmed.
Choose the time range and any folder filters, then finish the rule. See Copy Emails.

What IMAP rules can and can't do

They copy mail to storage. They don't change the mailbox: Move Emails, Protect Attachments on the mailbox, and marking mail as processed are not available for IMAP.
They skip system folders such as \Drafts, \Junk, \Deleted Items and \Trash, and common localized names such as "Junk Email", "Spam", "Contacts" and "Calendar".
They get no push notifications. A continuously updating rule checks the mailbox again about every 5 minutes.

Connect an individual mailbox

Open Settings › Integrations and select the Accounts tab.
Click Add Account and choose Gmail™ Single Account or Office 365™.
Sign in with the mailbox account in the Google or Microsoft window, and accept the requested access.
Check that the account appears in the list with the type Mailbox and the sync status Synced.

You can also click Add mailbox account under the provider list in a rule's Target step.

To use the account, choose it in a rule's provider list. Individual accounts appear below the organization options, for example "Gmail mailbox account: user@example.com".

For an individual Office 365 account, the rule can also read other mailboxes that this user has access to, such as a shared mailbox. Turn on Use the mailbox of other accounts and select the accounts.

Note: Office 365 Protect Attachments rules on an individual account need the delegated permissions MailboxFolder.Read, MailboxItem.Read and MailboxItem.ImportExport. Accounts connected before September 2026 must be re-authenticated. The account is flagged in Settings › Integrations › Accounts.

How mailbox rules process accounts

These limits apply to all mailbox rules, whatever the connection.

Item	Value
Accounts processed at the same time, per rule	6
Messages per account per batch	50 (25 for Move Emails and Protect Attachments)
Continuously updating rules re-check each account	About every 5 minutes
Account with 20 consecutive errors	Retried every 8 hours; you get a "connection error" notification
Failed message	Retried up to 3 times

A mailbox with many messages takes several passes. Watch progress from Rules › Rules List: open the rule to see each account's status and errors.

Verify

Run a test Copy Emails rule on one mailbox with the time range Between two dates in time set to a few days.
Open the rule from Rules › Rules List and check that the account finishes without errors.
Check the saved files in storage.

Troubleshooting

Symptom	Cause	Fix
IMAP Test configuration fails	Wrong host, port or credentials, SSL setting doesn't match the port, or the server blocks password sign-in.	Check the values with your mail provider. Try SSL on with port `993`.
IMAP rule copies nothing from a folder	The folder is a system folder (Junk, Trash, Drafts), or it's excluded by a folder filter.	Check the folder filters on the Target step.
Account shows `inbox_account_without_permission`	The user's password or sign-in changed, or access was revoked.	Re-authenticate the account in Settings › Integrations › Accounts, or update the IMAP password in the rule.
Account shows `inbox_account_without_credentials`	The individual account was removed or never finished signing in.	Add the account again.
Account shows `invalid_inbox_account`	The mailbox doesn't exist, for example the user was deleted.	Remove the account from the rule.
You can't choose Move or "mark as processed"	The rule uses an IMAP connection.	Use Copy Emails, or use organization access for Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace.