These are the essential settings for most mail programs (the terminology may vary within different programs). We have some specific help for configuring Thunderbird, in the box to the right, but we will not attempt to cover all possible configurations.

If you don't want to set up a mail program, here's the link to our webmail system: http://mail.physics.umn.edu/

Summary of settings:

• Mail server type: IMAP
• Server name: mail.physics.umn.edu
  • Use secure connection (SSL) on port 993
    • or you can choose StartTLS on port 143
  • Authentication method: Normal password
    • note, thunderbird usually auto-detects this incorrectly as “Encrypted password”

For outgoing mail, you can either use the Physics server (for which brief directions are given below) or the central university servers (for which you should consult the university directions). Using the Physics server will result in faster mail delivery times to Physics addresses.

• Server name: mail.physics.umn.edu
  • Select “StartTLS”
  • Port 587
  • Use Physics username and password

For more detailed directions for configuring individual mail programs, consult the OIT E-mail Setup Guides.