How to Set Up cPanel Email in Mozilla Thunderbird

This guide provides step-by-step instructions for manually configuring a cPanel-created email account in the Mozilla Thunderbird email client. We will use info@yourdomain.ie as the example email address.
Thunderbird is generally very good at auto-discovering server settings, but a manual setup is necessary if the automatic configuration fails or if you need to verify the secure settings.

Prerequisites

Before starting the setup process in Thunderbird, you must have the following information, which can be found in your cPanel under Email Accounts > Connect Devices for your specific email address.
Setting
Protocol
Example Value (using yourdomain.ie)
Description
Email Address
N/A
info@yourdomain.ie
The full email address you created in cPanel.
Username
N/A
info@yourdomain.ie
Crucially, this is usually the full email address.
Password
N/A
********
The password you set for the email account.
Incoming Server
IMAP
mail.yourdomain.ie
The hostname for receiving mail.
Incoming Port
IMAP
993
Secure port for IMAP with SSL/TLS.
Outgoing Server
SMTP
mail.yourdomain.ie
The hostname for sending mail.
Outgoing Port
SMTP
465
Secure port for SMTP with SSL/TLS. (Port 587 with STARTTLS is also common.)

Step-by-Step Guide for Mozilla Thunderbird

Follow these steps to manually add your cPanel email account to Thunderbird.

1. Start the Account Setup Process

1.Open Mozilla Thunderbird.
2.From the main menu, go to File > New > Existing Mail Account... (or click the Set up an account link on the main screen).
3.A new window will open: Mail Account Setup.
Your name: Enter the name you want recipients to see (e.g., Info Team).
Email address: Enter your full cPanel email address (e.g., info@yourdomain.ie).
Password: Enter the password for your email account.
4.Click Continue.

2. Configure Manually

Thunderbird will attempt to look up the settings. Since cPanel accounts often use non-standard hostnames (like mail.yourdomain.ie instead of just yourdomain.ie), you may need to adjust the settings manually.
1.If the automatic lookup fails or shows incorrect settings, click the Configure manually button.
2.Enter the server details from your cPanel:

Incoming Server Settings (IMAP)

Setting
Value
Protocol
IMAP (Recommended)
Server Hostname
mail.yourdomain.ie
Port
993
SSL
SSL/TLS
Authentication
Normal password

Outgoing Server Settings (SMTP)

Setting
Value
Protocol
SMTP
Server Hostname
mail.yourdomain.ie
Port
465
SSL
SSL/TLS
Authentication
Normal password
1.Ensure the Username field for both Incoming and Outgoing servers is your full email address (info@yourdomain.ie).

3. Finalize and Test

1.Click Done. Thunderbird will perform a final check of the credentials and server connections.
2.If the setup is successful, your new account will appear in the left-hand pane.
3.Send a test email to yourself or a colleague to confirm that you can both send and receive messages.

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Issue
Potential Solution
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