Canonical page: https://docs.teloring.com/docs/product/ring/email Last modified: 2026-08-20T20:49:57.000Z # Email The **Email** inbox turns an email address into a **shared team inbox**. Incoming mail is threaded into conversations, so agents reply from Teloring instead of a personal mail client, and replies go back out from the same address and stay attached to the same conversation. Rich HTML, attachments, CC/BCC, reply/reply-all/forward, and signatures all work as you'd expect from a full email client. You can connect email in four ways. They all share the same conversation view, composer, and threading — only *how mail is sent and received* differs. ## Choose a connection type Open **My Ring**, click the **Email** icon, choose **Add**, and pick a connection type.  | Type | What it is | Setup effort | Best for | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | **Teloring Email** ⭐ *Recommended* | A mailbox fully managed by Teloring — no mail server needed. | Lowest | Teams that want the fastest start, or a branded address on their own domain. | | **Microsoft Outlook** | Connect an Outlook / Microsoft 365 mailbox by signing in with Microsoft. | Low (one sign-in) | Microsoft 365 / Outlook users. | | **Gmail** | Connect a Gmail or Google Workspace mailbox with an App Password. | Medium | Gmail / Google Workspace users. | | **IMAP / SMTP** | Connect any provider using standard mail-server credentials. | Highest (manual) | Any other provider (Yahoo, a hosting mailbox, a custom server). | ### Conversations vs. sending only Every email inbox has a **purpose**, chosen right after the connection type: | Purpose | Behavior | | --- | --- | | **Conversations** | Receives and replies to customer email as conversations. This is the default. | | **Sending only** | Used for automated email, campaigns, and [Studio](../studio.md) flows. **No conversations are created** — inbound mail is ignored. | :::note Once a "Conversations" inbox has real conversations, its purpose is locked and cannot be switched to "Sending only". ::: ## Connect flow by type ### Teloring Email (managed) The recommended option has three modes: | Mode | What you get | DNS needed? | | --- | --- | --- | | **Zero Setup** | An address like `support@yourname.teloring.com`. Works instantly. | No | | **Email Forwarding** | Keep your current provider and forward incoming mail to a private Teloring address. | No | | **Bring Your Own Domain** | Send and receive on your own subdomain (for example, `support.yourcompany.com`) with your branding. | Yes | - **Zero Setup** — pick a prefix (like `support`) and a subdomain (`yourname`), and Teloring checks availability live (✅ Available / ❌ Not available). Add a display name and create the inbox. It's active immediately. - **Email Forwarding** — after you create the inbox, Teloring generates a private forwarding address. Add a forwarding rule at your current provider that sends mail to it. (The optional "original address" field is just a note for your agents.) - **Bring Your Own Domain (BYOD)** — enter a **subdomain** (root domains are not allowed) and a display name. Teloring shows two DNS records to add — a **DKIM** record (authorizes Teloring to send signed mail for your domain) and a **Return-Path** record (for bounce tracking) — plus a private address to forward inbound mail to. Add the records, then click **Verify DNS now**. The inbox becomes active once verification passes.  ### Microsoft Outlook (sign-in) 1. Name the inbox and click **Continue with Microsoft**. 2. A Microsoft sign-in window opens. Sign in and review the permissions Teloring requests (read and send mail on your behalf). 3. Accept. The window closes and the inbox is created — no server settings needed.  If the connection ever expires, the inbox's edit page shows a **Re-authorize** button to sign in again. ### Gmail (App Password) Gmail connects with a Google **App Password** (not your normal Gmail password). :::warning Google requires **2-Step Verification** to be **on** before you can create an App Password. The setup screen links you straight to Google's 2-Step Verification and App Passwords pages. ::: 1. Turn on 2-Step Verification in your Google account. 2. Create an App Password named *Teloring* at Google's App Passwords page (a 16-character code). 3. In Teloring, enter the inbox name, your Gmail address, a display name, and paste the App Password. 4. Click **Test Connection**, then **Save & Connect** once the test passes.  ### IMAP / SMTP (any provider) Enter your provider's mail-server details: | Group | Fields | | --- | --- | | **General** | Inbox Name, Email Address (the From address), Display Name. | | **IMAP (incoming)** | Host, Port (usually `993`), Security (SSL/TLS, STARTTLS, or None), Username, Password. | | **SMTP (outgoing)** | Host, Port (usually `587`), Security, Username, Password. A **Use same credentials as IMAP** checkbox saves retyping. |  Click **Test Connection** — IMAP and SMTP are tested separately and each shows a ✅ or ❌ result. **Save & Connect** unlocks once the test passes. :::note IMAP and Gmail inboxes do **not** import old mail. Only messages that arrive **after** you connect flow into Teloring. ::: When setup finishes, the **Email Inbox Ready!** screen confirms the address (and, for BYOD, shows the DNS records and forwarding address). ## The email edit page The edit page keeps a small settings surface: | Field | Editable? | | --- | --- | | **Channel Name** | ✅ | | **Display Name** | ✅ | | **Connection Type** | Read-only (Teloring Email, Microsoft, Gmail, or IMAP/SMTP). | | **Email Address** | Read-only. | | **Status** | Read-only — ✅ Active, ⏳ Pending verification, or ❌ an error state. | Type-specific panels also appear here: - **Teloring Forwarding** — the forwarding address to copy. - **Teloring BYOD** — the DKIM / Return-Path DNS records and a **Verify DNS now** button. - **Microsoft** — a **Re-authorize** button plus subscription/sync/token details. A **signature** and **reply-to** are configured per inbox and inserted automatically on replies. ## Capabilities and limits | Capability | Detail | | --- | --- | | Rich HTML | Full formatting — fonts, colors, lists, tables, links, and inline images — in a rich composer. | | Attachments | Sent and received, up to **25 MB** per file and 25 MB total per message. | | CC / BCC | Fully supported in the composer. | | Reply / Reply All / Forward | Per-message, with correct recipients and quoted content. | | Sends as your address | Replies go out from the inbox address (or, for Forwarding, the verified original address). | | Threading | Replies attach to the right conversation using standard email headers. | | Signature | Configured per inbox and added automatically. | | DNS / SPF / DKIM | Only **Bring Your Own Domain** needs DNS (a DKIM and a Return-Path record). Zero Setup, Forwarding, Gmail, Microsoft, and IMAP need none. | | Real-time delivery | Microsoft and Teloring Email push new mail in instantly; Gmail and IMAP check for new mail about once a minute. | | Resolved threads | A resolved conversation never reopens — a new email starts a fresh conversation. | ## How inbound email becomes conversations 1. Mail arrives (pushed for Microsoft/Teloring, polled for Gmail/IMAP) and Teloring routes it to the right inbox. 2. Teloring threads it: a reply attaches to its existing conversation using the email's headers; anything new starts a new conversation. 3. The sender becomes (or matches) a contact, the message is stored with its attachments and inline images, and the conversation is marked unread. 4. Real-time updates, [Studio](../studio.md) triggers, and AI Copilot fire on the new content (quoted history is ignored). Agents then reply, assign, label, and link the conversation to a [CRM customer](../crm.md) — see [Conversations](../../getting-started/conversations.md).