You can connect SendGrid, Mailgun, Amazon SES, and other SMTP providers to Instantly by combining SMTP from these services with IMAP from your email provider. This setup uses your SMTP provider to send emails while your email account (such as Gmail) handles receiving through IMAP.
To establish this connection, you'll require an IMAP inbox to integrate SendGrid, Mailgun, or other SMTP services with Instantly. Many of our users opt to use Gmail accounts as the IMAP target for receiving emails while utilizing SendGrid or Mailgum for SMTP to send emails.
Note: Connecting your Outlook accounts through the IMAP/SMTP method is not feasible, as Outlook/Microsoft accounts can only be connected via the oAuth Microsoft connector.
Connecting SendGrid with Google IMAP
Follow these steps to link SendGrid with a Gmail account. The same general process applies to other SMTP providers, just replace the SMTP settings with those for your specific provider.
If you're looking to link SendGrid with Google IMAP for seamless email integration, please follow these steps:
Step 1: Generate an App Password in your Google Account
Create an app-specific password in your Google account settings. This will be used to authenticate the IMAP connection.
Step 2: Select the IMAP/SMTP method in your Instantly Account
Log in to your Instantly account and select the 'Connect existing accounts -> IMAP/SMTP' method.
Step 3: Choose Single Account Configuration
Select the Single Account option to configure one account at a time.
Step 4: Enter Your Email Address
Input the name and email address associated with your Google account.
Step 5: Enter IMAP settings
Username: Your email account
Password: Use the Google App Password generated in Step 1
IMAP Host: imap.gmail.com
Port: 993
Step 6: Enter SMTP settings (SendGrid):
Username: Enter "apikey" as the username.
Password: Your SendGrid API key (obtain this from your SendGrid account)
SMTP Host: smtp.sendgrid.net
Port: 587
Step 7: Submit and Confirm
After entering all necessary details, click on the submit button to finalize the connection setup.
IMAP/SMTP Connection Fails
If the connection fails, double-check that all credentials, server addresses, and port numbers are entered correctly. Typos are the most common cause of connection issues. Contact your IMAP/SMTP provider for accurate details, or check our article for settings from the most popular providers.
To diagnose the issue further, run these tests:
SMTP test: https://www.gmass.co/smtp-test
If the tests fail, please share a screenshot of the result page with your provider to investigate why the IMAP/SMTP connection is failing.
"Account Already Added" Error
This error means the account is already connected to another workspace, such as one you previously left or that has expired.
For paid workspaces (via API): Use the
/account/moveaccountsendpoint to move accounts to your new workspace. You'll need an admin workspace API key, and both workspaces must be in the same workspace group. Follow the detailed steps here.For paid workspaces (manual transfer): Open the help chat in your Instantly dashboard and share the list of email accounts. Our support team can remove them so you can reconnect to your desired workspace.
For free trial users: We're unable to disconnect accounts on free trials to prevent abuse.
