TL;DR
Connect your email account (Gmail, Outlook, or IMAP/SMTP provider) to lemlist so you can send campaigns from your own email address. Grant permissions for Gmail/Outlook or enter IMAP/SMTP settings manually. Takes about 3–5 minutes.
Who Should Use This
New lemlist users setting up their account for the first time
Anyone adding a new sending email address to an existing account
Teams connecting multiple email addresses for different senders
Users switching from another cold email tool to lemlist
⚠️ Not for: Users trying to connect to unsupported SMTP providers (SendGrid, Mailgun, Amazon SES, etc. See the full list below)
Why This Matters
Connecting your email provider is required to send campaigns. Without it:
Your campaigns can't launch
Leads won't receive your emails
You can't track opens, clicks, or replies
Connecting your email ensures:
Emails send from your real email address
Recipients see your domain, building trust
Replies come directly to your inbox
lemlist tracks engagement automatically
Key Concept: Supported Email Providers
lemlist works with three types of email providers:
1. Google (Gmail, Google Workspace)
One-click OAuth connection
Most common and easiest setup
2. Microsoft (Outlook, Office 365)
One-click OAuth connection
Another very common and easy setup
3. IMAP/SMTP Providers
Requires manual server settings
Works with most other providers (Zoho, custom domains, etc.)
Auto-detects settings for many providers
⚠️ Unsupported providers:
SendGrid
Mailgun
Sendinblue
Mailjet
O2switch
Amazon SES
Postmark
Cloudmark
HostGator
💡 Why? These are transactional email services, not personal email accounts. lemlist requires access to a real inbox to track replies.
Step-by-Step: Connect Your Email Provider
Step 1: Access the email connection from the dashboard
When your email address isn't connected yet, you'll see a My email provider – Not connected card on your lemlist dashboard.
Click this card to open your Sending settings.
Alternative access: You can also connect from Settings (see Step 2).
Step 2: Navigate to Sending settings
Go to Settings:
Click your profile icon (bottom-left corner)
Select Settings from the dropdown
In the left sidebar, choose Sending settings and in the Sending email addresses section, click + Connect email address.
Step 3: Choose your email provider
You'll see three options:
1. Google (Gmail, Google Workspace) Click Connect next to Google / Gmail.
2. Microsoft (Outlook, Office 365) Click Connect next to Microsoft / Outlook.
3. Other (IMAP/SMTP) Click Connect next to Other email provider (SMTP/IMAP).
Option A: Connect Google (Gmail)
Step 1: Click "Connect" next to Google / Gmail
On the Select your email provider popup, click Connect on the Google / Gmail row.
Step 2: Log in to your Google account
A Google login pop-up appears.
Select or enter the Gmail account you want to connect.
Step 3: Grant permissions
Google will ask for permissions. You must check the box to allow lemlist to:
Read emails
Compose emails
Send emails from your Gmail account
✅ Check all permissions boxes and click Allow.
⚠️ Important: If you don't grant all permissions, the email can't be connected to lemlist.
Step 4: Verify connection
After authorising, you'll return to lemlist.
Your Gmail account will now appear in Sending settings under Sending email addresses with a green checkmark in the Status column.
Option B: Connect Microsoft (Outlook)
Step 1: Click "Connect" next to Microsoft / Outlook
On the Select your email provider pop-up, click Connect on the Microsoft / Outlook row. A Microsoft login pop-up appears.
Step 2: Log in to your Microsoft account
Enter your Outlook or Office 365 email and password.
Step 3: Verify connection
After authorising, you'll return to lemlist.
Your Outlook account now appears in Sending Settings with status Connected.
Option C: Connect via IMAP/SMTP
If you use a provider other than Google or Microsoft (Zoho, custom domain, etc.), follow these steps:
Step 1: Choose "Other email provider (SMTP/IMAP)"
From Sending settings → Sending email addresses, click + Connect email address.
On the Select your email provider popup, click Connect next to Other email provider (SMTP/IMAP). A window will open where you can enter your email address and password.
Step 2: Auto-detect settings (if available)
After you submit your email and password, lemlist will attempt to automatically retrieve your IMAP/SMTP server settings.
If settings are detected:
Review the pre-filled server details
Skip to Step 4 to verify and save
If settings are NOT detected:
Click Advanced settings to enter them manually
Continue to Step 3
Step 3: Enter IMAP/SMTP settings manually
You'll need the following information from your email provider:
IMAP Settings (Incoming mail):
IMAP Server Address (e.g.,
imap.yourdomain.com)IMAP Port (usually 993)
Username (your full email address)
Password (your email password or app-specific password)
SMTP Settings (Outgoing mail):
SMTP Server Address (e.g.,
smtp.yourdomain.com)SMTP Port (usually 465 or 587)
Username (your full email address)
Password (same as IMAP)
💡 Where to find these settings: Check your email provider's support documentation (e.g., "Zoho IMAP settings," "Custom domain SMTP setup").
Step 4: Save and verify the connection
Click Save Changes or Connect.
lemlist will test the connection. If successful, your email appears in Sending Settings with status Connected.
How You'll Know It Worked
✓ Your dashboard shows "My email provider – Connected" with a green checkmark.
✓ Your email appears in Sending Settings with status "Connected" (green checkmark)
✓ You can select this email when creating a campaign (it appears in the sender dropdown)
✓ No error messages appear in Sending Settings
If you don't see these, revisit the connection steps or check Troubleshooting below.
Troubleshooting
Issue: Google permissions error ("Access blocked")
Root cause: Your Google Workspace admin has restricted third-party app access.
Fix:
Contact your Google Workspace admin and ask them to whitelist lemlist
Issue: Microsoft connection fails
Root cause: Multi-factor authentication (MFA) or conditional access policies are blocking lemlist.
Fix:
Check with your IT admin to allow lemlist access
Ensure you're using the correct Microsoft account (work vs. personal)
Try a different browser if the popup doesn't appear
Issue: IMAP/SMTP connection fails ("Invalid credentials")
Root cause: Incorrect server settings, wrong password, or app-specific password required.
Fix:
Double-check IMAP/SMTP server addresses and ports (refer to your email provider's documentation)
If your provider uses 2FA, generate an app-specific password instead of your regular password
Ensure SSL is enabled
Test with a different email client (e.g., Thunderbird) to verify credentials work
Issue: Email connects but campaigns won't send
Root cause: Email may be connected but you don't have seat access in lemlist, or sending limits aren't set.
Fix:
Check Plans&Billings to see if you have seat access (it's required to send campaigns)
Set a daily sending limit (Settings → Sending Limits)
Verify your email isn't paused or restricted
Issue: Can't connect SendGrid, Mailgun, or Amazon SES
Root cause: These are unsupported transactional email providers.
Fix:
Use a personal email provider instead (Gmail, Outlook, Zoho, etc.)
lemlist requires access to a real inbox to track replies, transactional services don't provide this
If you need high volume, use multiple Gmail or Outlook accounts
Unsupported SMTP Providers
The following providers are not compatible with lemlist:
SendGrid
Mailgun
Sendinblue
Mailjet
O2switch
Amazon SES
Postmark
Cloudmark
HostGator
Why? These are transactional email services designed for system emails (receipts, notifications), not personal inboxes. lemlist needs access to a real inbox to:
Track replies automatically
Monitor engagement
Maintain sender reputation
Alternative: Use Gmail, Google Workspace, Outlook, Office 365, Zoho, or a custom domain with IMAP/SMTP.