How to Change Your Email Server Settings in Your Mail Client

How to Change Your Email Server Settings in Your Mail Client

Overview

If your email account is already set up on your computer, phone, or tablet, you can update its server settings in place. You don't need to delete the account and start over. This is useful if we've asked you to switch to a new server name, if your mail stopped sending or receiving after a change, or if your account was originally set up with old or incorrect settings.

This article covers how to find and change the server settings in each mail client we support. If you are setting up an account for the first time, use the setup article for your client instead (see Related Articles at the bottom of this page).

Before you begin: Close and reopen your mail app after making changes, and send yourself a test message to confirm that both sending and receiving work.

Jump to your mail client

Correct Server Settings (Quick Reference)

Use these values in every client below.

IMAP — Incoming Mail

SettingValue
Incoming Mail Servermail.usgo.net
Port993
Security / EncryptionSSL/TLS
AuthenticationNormal password (no SPA)
UsernameYour full email address (for example, yourname@usgo.net)
PasswordYour email account password

SMTP — Outgoing Mail

SettingValue
Outgoing Mail Servermail.usgo.net
Port465
Security / EncryptionSSL/TLS
AuthenticationRequired, using the same username and password as incoming mail
UsernameYour full email address
PasswordYour email account password

Vexusfiber.net customers: If your address ends in @vexusfiber.net, use mail.vexusfiber.net as both the incoming and outgoing server. All other settings stay the same. See our Vexusfiber.net Email Setup — IMAP & SMTP Settings article for details.

Outlook Classic (Windows)

These steps apply to the classic Outlook desktop app (Outlook 2016, 2019, 2021, and Microsoft 365 Classic). If the New Outlook toggle in the upper-right corner is On, skip to the New Outlook for Windows section instead.

Option 1 — Server Settings screen (most Microsoft 365 builds)

  1. Click the File tab.
  2. Click Account Settings, then choose Server Settings from the drop-down.
  3. If you have more than one account, confirm that the correct email address is shown at the top of the window.
  4. Under Incoming mail, update the following:
    • Server: mail.usgo.net
    • Port: 993
    • Encryption method: SSL/TLS
    • Leave Require logon using Secure Password Authentication (SPA) unchecked.
  5. Click Outgoing mail to expand it and update the following:
    • Server: mail.usgo.net
    • Port: 465
    • Encryption method: SSL/TLS
    • Make sure My outgoing (SMTP) server requires authentication is checked, and select Use same settings as my incoming mail server.
  6. Click Next. Outlook will test the connection. Then click Done.

Option 2 — Account Settings dialog (older versions)

  1. Click File → Account Settings → Account Settings.
  2. On the Email tab, select your account and click Change (or double-click the account).
  3. Update Incoming mail server and Outgoing mail server (SMTP) to mail.usgo.net. Confirm that the username is your full email address.
  4. Click More Settings and open the Outgoing Server tab. Check My outgoing server (SMTP) requires authentication and select Use same settings as my incoming mail server.
  5. Open the Advanced tab and set:
    • Incoming server (IMAP): 993, encryption SSL/TLS
    • Outgoing server (SMTP): 465, encryption SSL/TLS
  6. Click OK, then Next. When the test completes successfully, click Close, then Finish.

Tip: If Outlook keeps prompting for a password after the change, open Windows Credential Manager (search for it from the Start menu). Under Windows Credentials, remove any old entries for your email address or the old server name, then reopen Outlook and enter your password again.

New Outlook for Windows

The new Outlook for Windows has limited options for editing server settings on IMAP accounts once they've been added.

  1. Click the Settings gear in the upper-right corner.
  2. Go to Accounts → Email accounts.
  3. Click Manage next to your email account.
  4. If server fields are shown and can be edited, update the incoming server to mail.usgo.net (port 993, SSL/TLS) and the outgoing server to mail.usgo.net (port 465, SSL/TLS), then save.

If the server fields can't be edited (this is the case in most current builds), remove the account and add it again:

  1. On the same Manage screen, click Remove to remove the account from the new Outlook.
  2. Add the account again by following our New Outlook for Windows - How to Connect Your Email Account via IMAP article, using the settings in the Quick Reference table above.

Removing the account from the new Outlook does not delete any mail from our server. Your messages and folders stay on the server and sync back once the account is re-added.

Reminder: The new Outlook syncs a copy of your mail through Microsoft's cloud. If you'd rather connect directly to our server, consider using Outlook Classic or Mozilla Thunderbird instead.

Mozilla Thunderbird

Change the incoming (IMAP) server

  1. Click the menu button (three horizontal lines, upper-right) and choose Account Settings.
  2. In the left sidebar, under your email address, click Server Settings.
  3. Update the following:
    • Server Name: mail.usgo.net
    • Port: 993
    • User Name: your full email address
    • Connection security: SSL/TLS
    • Authentication method: Normal password
  4. If Thunderbird warns that changing the server name may affect your folders, click OK to continue. Your mail stays on the server.

Change the outgoing (SMTP) server

  1. Still in Account Settings, click Outgoing Server (SMTP) at the bottom of the left sidebar.
  2. Select the server used by your account and click Edit.
  3. Update the following:
    • Server Name: mail.usgo.net
    • Port: 465
    • Connection security: SSL/TLS
    • Authentication method: Normal password
    • User Name: your full email address
  4. Click OK.
  5. Click your email address at the top of the left sidebar. At the bottom of that page, confirm that Outgoing Server (SMTP) is set to the mail.usgo.net server you just edited.

Close and reopen Thunderbird so the changes take effect.

Tip: If Thunderbird keeps prompting for a password, open menu → Settings → Privacy & Security → Saved Passwords. Remove any outdated entries for your email address or the old server name, then enter your password again and check Remember password.

Apple Mail (Mac)

These steps apply to the Mail app on macOS Ventura (13) and later. On macOS Monterey (12) and earlier, the Settings menu is called Preferences, but the steps are the same.

Change the incoming (IMAP) server

  1. Open the Mail app.
  2. In the menu bar at the top of the screen, click Mail → Settings.
  3. Click Accounts, then select your email account in the list on the left.
  4. Click the Server Settings tab.
  5. Under Incoming Mail Server (IMAP), update the following:
    • User Name: your full email address
    • Password: your email account password
    • Host Name: mail.usgo.net
  6. Uncheck Automatically manage connection settings. More fields will appear. Set the following:
    • Port: 993
    • Use TLS/SSL: Checked
    • Authentication: Password

Change the outgoing (SMTP) server

  1. On the same Server Settings tab, find Outgoing Mail Server (SMTP).
  2. Make sure the Account drop-down shows the outgoing server for this email account.
  3. Update the following:
    • User Name: your full email address
    • Password: your email account password
    • Host Name: mail.usgo.net
  4. Uncheck Automatically manage connection settings, then set the following:
    • Port: 465
    • Use TLS/SSL: Checked
    • Authentication: Password
  5. Click Save, then close the Settings window. If Mail asks whether to save your changes, click Save again.

Important: Mail may say the outgoing User Name and Password are optional, but you must fill them in. Otherwise sending will fail.

Tip: If the Account drop-down lists an old server, choose Edit SMTP Server List from the drop-down. Select the old server, click the minus (–) button to remove it, and click OK. Don't remove the server your account is currently using.

Tip: If Mail keeps prompting for your password after the change, open Keychain Access (press Command + Space, then type Keychain Access). Search for your email address or the old server name, delete any outdated entries, then reopen Mail and enter your password when prompted.

iPhone or iPad (Mail App)

Change the incoming (IMAP) server

  1. Open the Settings app.
  2. Tap Apps → Mail → Mail Accounts. On older iOS versions, tap Mail → Accounts, or Passwords & Accounts.
  3. Tap the email account you want to update.
  4. Tap the account entry at the top of the screen (the one that shows your email address).
  5. Under Incoming Mail Server, update the following:
    • Host Name: mail.usgo.net
    • User Name: your full email address
    • Password: your email account password
  6. Scroll down and tap Advanced. Confirm the following:
    • Use SSL: On
    • Authentication: Password
    • Server Port: 993
  7. Tap the back arrow, then tap Done. iOS will verify the settings, which can take up to a minute.

Change the outgoing (SMTP) server

  1. From the same account screen, tap SMTP under Outgoing Mail Server.
  2. Tap the Primary Server entry.
  3. Update the following:
    • Server: On
    • Host Name: mail.usgo.net
    • User Name: your full email address
    • Password: your email account password
    • Use SSL: On
    • Authentication: Password
    • Server Port: 465
  4. Tap Done.

Important: iOS labels the outgoing User Name and Password as "Optional," but you must fill them in. Otherwise sending will fail.

If Other SMTP Servers lists an old server, tap it and set Server to Off so your iPhone or iPad doesn't try to send through it.

Android — Gmail App

  1. Open the Gmail app.
  2. Tap the menu (three lines, upper-left), scroll down, and tap Settings.
  3. Tap the email account you want to update.
  4. Scroll down to Server settings.
  5. Tap Incoming settings and update the following:
    • Username: your full email address
    • Server: mail.usgo.net
    • Port: 993
    • Security type: SSL/TLS
  6. Tap Done (or Next). Gmail will verify the settings.
  7. Tap Outgoing settings and update the following:
    • Require sign-in: On
    • Username: your full email address
    • SMTP server: mail.usgo.net
    • Port: 465
    • Security type: SSL/TLS
  8. Tap Done (or Next).

Note: If you don't see Server settings for your account, the account was likely added as a Google or Exchange account rather than IMAP. In that case, remove the account and add it again using our Android (Gmail App or Samsung Email) - How to Connect Your Email Account via IMAP article.

Android — Samsung Email App

  1. Open the Email app (blue envelope icon).
  2. Tap the menu (three lines), then tap the Settings gear.
  3. Under Accounts, tap the email account you want to update.
  4. Scroll down and tap Server settings (on some versions, this is under Advanced settings).
  5. Under the incoming server section, update the following:
    • Username: your full email address
    • IMAP server: mail.usgo.net
    • Security type: SSL/TLS
    • Port: 993
  6. Under the outgoing server section, update the following:
    • SMTP server: mail.usgo.net
    • Security type: SSL/TLS
    • Port: 465
    • Require authentication to send emails: On
    • Username and password: your full email address and email account password
  7. Tap Done (or Sign in). Samsung Email will verify the settings.

Troubleshooting

The app won't accept the new settings or says it can't connect

  • Double-check the spelling of the server name: mail.usgo.net (or mail.vexusfiber.net for vexusfiber.net addresses).
  • Confirm that the username is your full email address, not just the part before the @.
  • Confirm your password by signing in to webmail. If webmail works but your mail app doesn't, the password is correct and the issue is in the app's settings.
  • Make sure security is set to SSL/TLS, not "None," "Auto," or "STARTTLS," with port 993 for incoming and port 465 for outgoing.

Receiving works but sending fails

  • Outgoing authentication is the most common cause. Make sure the outgoing (SMTP) server requires sign-in and uses your full email address and password.
  • Some Internet providers and cellular networks block port 465. To check, try a different network, such as switching between Wi-Fi and cellular or using a mobile hotspot.

Security or certificate warning after the change

  • This usually means the server name is misspelled or an old server name is still in use. Check both the incoming and outgoing server names against the Quick Reference table. If they're correct, you can accept the certificate to continue.

I can't find the server settings in my app

  • Some apps and account types don't allow server settings to be edited after setup. In that case, remove the account from the app and add it again by following the setup article for your client. Removing an IMAP account from a mail app does not delete your mail from our server.
  • Outlook Classic - How to Connect Your Email Account via IMAP
  • New Outlook for Windows - How to Connect Your Email Account via IMAP
  • Mozilla Thunderbird - How to Connect Your Email Account via IMAP
  • iPhone or iPad - How to Connect Your Email Account via IMAP
  • Android (Gmail App or Samsung Email) - How to Connect Your Email Account via IMAP
  • Vexusfiber.net Email Setup — IMAP & SMTP Settings