This guide covers Apple Mail on macOS Ventura (13), Sonoma (14), and Sequoia (15). The steps are the same across all three versions.

What you will need

• Your full email address (e.g. you@yourdomain.com)
• Your email password
• Your mail server hostname — find this in cPanel under Email Accounts → Connect Devices. It is typically mail.yourdomain.com.

Add the account

1. Open Mail.
2. In the macOS menu bar, click Mail → Add Account.
3. Select Other Mail Account and click Continue.
4. Fill in the form:
   • Full Name: your display name
   • Email Address: your full email address
   • Password: your email password
5. Click Sign In. Apple Mail will attempt to auto-detect the server settings. This will fail for custom domain addresses — that is expected. A manual configuration form will appear.
6. Complete the manual form:
   • Account Type: IMAP
   • Incoming Mail Server: mail.yourdomain.com
   • Outgoing Mail Server: mail.yourdomain.com
7. Click Sign In again. Mail will add the account and begin syncing.

Verify port and encryption settings

After setup, confirm that the correct ports are in use:

1. Go to Mail → Settings (macOS Ventura and later) or Mail → Preferences (older macOS).
2. Click the Accounts tab, then select your account.
3. Click Server Settings.
4. Verify the following:
   • Incoming (IMAP): port 993, Use TLS/SSL: enabled
   • Outgoing (SMTP): port 465, Use TLS/SSL: enabled
5. Click Save if you made any changes.

Troubleshooting

• If outgoing mail fails on port 465, try port 587 with STARTTLS in the SMTP server settings.
• Confirm the exact server hostname in cPanel: Email Accounts → Connect Devices.