--- title: "IMAP" description: "IMAP is a built-in integration for Home Assistant. It has 3k installs sharing analytics and needs the vendor's cloud." canonical: "https://vulpo.app/integrations/core/imap" url: "https://vulpo.app/integrations/core/imap.md" last-updated: "2026-10-22" version: "1.4" --- # IMAP > IMAP is a built-in integration for Home Assistant. It has 3k installs sharing analytics and needs the vendor's cloud. IMAP is a built-in Home Assistant integration that connects to an email account and reports on its messages. It adds a sensor for messages in a chosen folder, and a search command, which defaults to unseen and undeleted mail, decides which messages are counted. New messages fire an event that can carry message data, and a template can add custom data to that event, while the event size is limited. Push updates are supported when the server offers them, with polling as the alternative that responds more slowly. Actions can fetch a message or an attachment, move a message to another folder, mark it as seen, or delete it. Setup happens in the UI, with settings for server, port, credentials, character set and SSL certificate checking. Automatic summary of Home Assistant's source code. Something wrong? [Get in touch](https://vulpo.app/contact) [Open in My Home Assistant](https://my.home-assistant.io/redirect/config_flow_start/?domain=imap) ## Supports - **Uses the vendor's cloud**: Needs an internet connection and an account with the vendor. - **Set up in the UI**: Add it in Settings, Devices and services. Nothing to download. - **Updated with Home Assistant**: Ships and updates with every Home Assistant release. ## Setting it up It is added under Settings, Devices and services, with Add integration. ### Connect - **Character set**: The character set used. Common values are utf-8 or US-ASCII. - **Message data to be included in the imap\_content event data:**: Note that the event size is limited, and not all message text might be sent with the event if the message is too large. - **Folder**: In generally the folder is set to INBOX, but e.g. in case of a sub folder, named Test, this should be INBOX.Test. - **Password**: The IMAP password - **Port**: The IMAP port supporting SSL, usually this is 993. - **IMAP search**: The IMAP search command which is UnSeen UnDeleted by default. - **Server**: The IMAP server. - **SSL cipher list**: If the IMAP service only supports legacy encryption, try to change this. - **Username**: The IMAP username. - **Verify SSL certificate**: Recommended, to ensure the server certificate is valid. Turn off, if the server certificate is not trusted (e.g. self signed). ### Sign in again - **Password**: Correct the IMAP password. ### After setup - **Template to create custom event data**: This template is evaluated when a new message was received, and the result is added to the custom attribute of the event data. - **Enable Push-IMAP if the server supports it. Turn off if Push-IMAP updates are unreliable.**: Using Push-IMAP is recommended. Polling will increase the time to respond. - **Message data to be included in the imap\_content event data.**: Note that the event size is limited, and not all message text might be sent with the event if the message is too large. - **Folder**: In generally the folder is set to INBOX, but e.g. in case of a sub folder, named Test, this should be INBOX.Test. - **Max message size (2048 \< size \< 30000)**: Limit the maximum size of the event. Instead of passing the (whole) text message, using a template is a better option. - **IMAP search**: The IMAP search command which is UnSeen UnDeleted by default. Texts from Home Assistant's source code, [Apache License 2.0](https://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0). ## Entities - **Sensors**: Messages ## Actions - **Delete message**: Deletes an email. Fields: Entry, UID - **Fetch message**: Fetches an email message from the server. Fields: Entry, UID - **Fetch message part**: Fetches a message part or attachment from an email message. Fields: Entry, Part, UID - **Move message**: Moves an email to a target folder. Fields: Entry, Seen, Target folder, UID - **Mark message as seen**: Marks an email as seen. Fields: Entry, UID ## Troubleshooting - **Diagnostics**: Downloads a diagnostics file to attach to a bug report. ## At a glance - Kind: Built-in integration - Category: [Messaging and notifications](https://vulpo.app/integrations/category/messaging-and-notifications.md), Email, SMS and calls - Number: 3k installs sharing analytics - Connection: Needs the vendor's cloud - Upkeep: Part of Home Assistant - Needs: Built into Home Assistant - Domain: `imap` - Source: In Vulpo: Chart card, Apple Watch Independent directory, made by the developer of Vulpo. Not affiliated with Home Assistant or the Open Home Foundation. [About these numbers](https://vulpo.app/integrations/about) Last updated 2026-10-22. Source: https://vulpo.app/integrations/core/imap --- - HTML version of this page: https://vulpo.app/integrations/core/imap - Site index for agents: https://vulpo.app/llms.txt - Everything in one document: https://vulpo.app/llms-full.txt - All pages: https://vulpo.app/sitemap.xml