How to Configure IMAP Settings in Bit CRM

The IMAP Settings section in Bit CRM lets you connect an email account and sync received emails with CRM contact records. Once the account is connected, users with the required access can open a contact, select the configured mailbox, and bring related emails into the contact’s email history.

You can create multiple IMAP configurations and keep each one active, inactive, shared, or private. This gives teams flexibility when individual members use separate inboxes or when a shared business mailbox should be available to several CRM users.

What is an IMAP configuration in Bit CRM?

An IMAP configuration connects an email account with Bit CRM so the CRM can fetch and display emails related to your contacts. The current platform list includes Gmail, Zoho Mail, and Other, where Other lets you enter the server details for any provider that supports IMAP.

Gmail and Zoho Mail both require a generated app password rather than your normal account password. This guide covers all three options, starting with Gmail.

Before you begin

Make sure you have access to the mailbox you want to connect and can open its security settings. For Gmail and Zoho Mail, you will need the full email address and a generated app password, and both providers require two-factor authentication before they will issue one. For the Other option, you will also need the incoming IMAP host, port, and encryption type from your provider.

Decide whether each configuration will be private to its owner or shared with other Bit CRM users. Private access suits a personal business inbox, while shared access suits a general sales or support mailbox that several users need.

Connect a Gmail account through IMAP Settings

Step 1: Open IMAP Settings

Open Bit CRM and click the Settings icon. Under the Communication section, select IMAP Settings. The IMAP Configurations page displays any email accounts that have already been connected.

Click New to begin creating another configuration. Each configuration appears as a separate card, so you can connect more than one email account and enable or disable them individually.

Step 2: Generate a Gmail App Password

Before you generate an app password, make sure 2-Step Verification is turned on for the Google Account. Google only shows the App passwords option to accounts that have 2-Step Verification enabled, so if the option is missing, turn it on first from the account’s security settings and then return.

Sign in to the Google Account for the Gmail address you want to use, then search for “app passwords” from the account home and open the App passwords result under Security.

You can also open the Google Account App Passwords page after signing in.

Enter a clear app name, such as Bit CRM, and generate the password. Google displays the generated App Password once, so copy it before closing the window. Keep it private and use it only in the Bit CRM IMAP configuration.

Step 3: Enter the Gmail account details

Return to the Create IMAP Settings window in Bit CRM. Enter a clear name in the Title field so users can recognise the connection later. A name such as Sales Gmail, Support Gmail, or the account owner’s name is easier to identify than a generic title.

Open the Platform dropdown and select Gmail. The same dropdown also includes Zoho Mail and Other, which are covered in the sections below.

Enter the complete Gmail address in Username (Email), then paste the generated password into App Password. Review both values carefully, because an incorrect email address or password will prevent Bit CRM from fetching emails.

Step 4: Choose private or shared access and create the connection

Use the Private Settings option to control whether other Bit CRM users can use the configuration. Select Yes to keep the inbox private to the user who created it, or select No when other authorised CRM users should be able to select the connection and fetch emails from it.

After you review the title, platform, email address, app password, and privacy choice, click Create. Bit CRM adds the account to the IMAP Configurations page, where each card shows its title, email address, platform, and access type. A Private or Shared label identifies the access type, and the toggle on the card enables or disables the connection without deleting it.

Connect a Zoho Mail account

Zoho Mail works much like Gmail. You enable IMAP in Zoho Mail, generate an application-specific password in your Zoho account, then add the account in Bit CRM using the Zoho Mail platform. Zoho requires two-factor authentication on the account before it will issue an application-specific password.

Step 5: Enable IMAP and note the server details in Zoho Mail

Sign in to Zoho Mail and open Settings, then go to Mail Accounts and open the IMAP tab for your account. Turn on IMAP Access so external clients can fetch your mail.

While you are there, note the IMAP server configuration, which Zoho lists as the incoming server imappro.zoho.com on port 993 with SSL. You will need these values if you later connect the account through the Other option instead.

Step 6: Generate a Zoho application-specific password

Open your Zoho Account security settings and go to App Passwords. Enter an app name, such as Bit CRM, and generate the password. Zoho shows the application-specific password once, so copy it before you close the window and keep it private.

Step 7: Add the Zoho Mail account in Bit CRM

Back in the Create IMAP Settings window, enter a Title, then open the Platform dropdown and select Zoho Mail. Enter your Zoho Mail address in Username (Email) and paste the application-specific password into App Password.

Set the Private Settings option to Yes or No to match how the mailbox should be shared, then click Create. The Zoho Mail account now appears as its own card on the IMAP Configurations page.

Connect another provider with the other option.

If your mailbox is not Gmail or Zoho Mail, select Other and enter the server details yourself. This option suits business mailboxes and providers that expose standard IMAP access.

Step 8: Enter the host, port, and encryption for your provider.

Select Other in the Platform dropdown, then complete the Host, Port, and encryption fields with the values from your email provider. The example below uses Zoho’s incoming server, imappro.zoho.com, on port 993 with SSL, but you should use the host and port your own provider lists. Choose SSL or TLS to match the provider, then enter the mailbox address in Username (Email) and the app password in App Password.

Set private settings and click Create to save the configuration. Because the other option relies on the values you enter, double-check the host, port, and encryption if the connection fails.

Sync emails with a contact

Step 9: Select the IMAP account and sync contact emails

Open Contacts and select the contact whose emails you want to review, then go to the Emails tab inside the contact record. Open the IMAP configuration dropdown, select the connected account, and click Sync IMAP Emails to fetch emails linked to the contact’s address.

After the sync finishes, the Emails section lists the messages with their subject, date, sender, and status, such as received or sent. When more than one mailbox is connected, use the dropdown to switch between the available IMAP configurations.

A Zoho Mail configuration works the same way: select the Zoho account from the dropdown and click Sync Imap Emails to pull the contact’s Zoho messages into the record.

A configuration created with the Other option behaves identically. Select it from the dropdown and click Sync IMAP Emails to fetch the contact’s messages from that mailbox.

Manage an existing IMAP configuration.

Return to Settings > Communication > IMAP Settings whenever you need to review connected accounts. Use the toggle on a configuration card to enable or disable email syncing, and open the menu on a card for its management controls.

A disabled configuration stays listed but cannot sync until you enable it again. When a Gmail or Zoho password changes, or the provider revokes the app password, generate a new one and update the configuration with the new credential.

Troubleshooting IMAP connections

The app password option is unavailable.

Confirm that two-factor authentication is enabled and that the correct account is open. Some managed Google or Zoho accounts restrict app password creation through administrator policies.

Bit CRM cannot connect to the mailbox.

Check that the correct platform is selected, the complete email address is entered in Username (Email), and the app password was pasted correctly. For the other option, confirm the host, port, and encryption match your provider. Do not use the regular account password.

The account does not appear for a CRM user.

Check the Private Settings choice, because a private configuration is not available to other users, while a shared one can be used by authorized CRM users. Also confirm that the configuration toggle is enabled on the IMAP Configurations page.

No emails appear after syncing.

Confirm that the contact has the correct email address and that the mailbox contains messages linked to that address. Select the correct IMAP configuration, then click Sync IMAP Emails again.

Conclusion

Bit CRM IMAP Settings lets you connect Gmail, Zoho Mail, or another provider and bring relevant messages into contact records. Generate an app password with the provider, add the account under IMAP Settings, choose whether the connection is private or shared, and keep the configuration enabled.

Once connected, open a contact’s Emails tab, select the configuration, and click Sync IMAP Emails to review that contact’s email history inside Bit CRM.