IONOS (formerly 1&1) uses standard IMAP with your regular mailbox password — no app passwords or extra setup. The only thing to get right is which regional IMAP server matches your IONOS account. Setup takes about 2 minutes.
IONOS hosts mailboxes in regional data centers. Pick the server matching the IONOS region where your mailbox lives — usually the country where you signed up.
Not sure which region? Sign in at
login.ionos.com — the URL bar will show
my.ionos.com for US,
my.ionos.de for Germany, etc. Use the matching IMAP host.
Step 1 — Find or set your mailbox password
IONOS mailboxes have their own password, separate from your overall IONOS account login.
- Sign in at login.ionos.com (or your regional login URL)
- Open the Email section in the Control Panel
- Find the mailbox you want to connect and click Edit (or the gear icon)
- If you don't remember the mailbox password, click Change Password and set a new one
Your mailbox password is what authenticates IMAP — your IONOS account password (the one you used to sign in to the Control Panel) is different and does NOT work for IMAP.
Step 2 — Confirm IMAP is enabled
IMAP is enabled by default on IONOS mailboxes; you usually don't need to do anything. To verify (especially if you're on a Business or Premium Mail plan with admin controls):
- In the same mailbox-edit screen as Step 1, look for an IMAP/POP3 Access or Protocols section
- Confirm IMAP is toggled ON
- Save if you had to change anything
Step 3 — Add IONOS to Pop3Fetch
- Sign in to app.pop3fetch.com
- Click Add an account
- Fill in:
- IMAP host: regional host from the settings card above (e.g.
imap.ionos.com)
- IMAP port:
993
- Username: your full email address (e.g.
you@yourdomain.com)
- Password: your IONOS mailbox password from Step 1
- Click Save
Pop3Fetch verifies the connection and starts importing on the next sync cycle — within 5 minutes on Basic, 1 minute on Pro.
Common issues
"Authentication failed"
Three likely causes:
- You used your IONOS Control Panel password (account login) instead of the mailbox password. Re-do Step 1 to find or set the mailbox password.
- You picked the wrong regional IMAP host. A US-region IONOS account won't authenticate against
imap.ionos.de.
- The username doesn't match exactly. Use the full email address, all lowercase.
I signed up via 1&1 — does this still apply?
Yes — 1&1 IONOS rebranded as IONOS but kept the same infrastructure. The same regional IMAP hosts apply.
Custom domain hosted by IONOS
If your mailbox is on a custom domain hosted by IONOS, the username is your full custom-domain address (e.g. you@yourdomain.com), and the IMAP server is whichever regional IONOS host the mailbox was provisioned on. Hosting region usually follows the IONOS account country.
I just changed my mailbox password and now it doesn't work
Mailbox password changes can take a minute or two to propagate. Wait 60 seconds and retry. If it still fails, sign in to IONOS webmail directly with the new password to confirm it took effect.
Hosting bundle mailboxes (mail-only and Webmail)
Mailboxes that come bundled with IONOS hosting (Mail Basic, Mail Business, etc.) all support standard IMAP on the regional hosts above. There's no separate "premium" server.
Notes
- IONOS doesn't use app-specific passwords for IMAP — your regular mailbox password is the credential. Use a unique, strong password and store it in your password manager.
- Changing your mailbox password at IONOS will require updating it in your Pop3Fetch dashboard.
- If you ever need a fast "off switch" for Pop3Fetch's IONOS access, change the mailbox password at IONOS — Pop3Fetch will fail to connect immediately and start sending you the standard connection-failure alert.
- IONOS supports IMAP on port 993 (SSL/TLS) only — port 143 (STARTTLS) is also offered by IONOS but Pop3Fetch uses the implicit-TLS path on 993.