GMX IMAP and SMTP settings: connect the right service
A GMX browser login and a mail-client connection are separate checks. Start with one mailbox and identify its GMX service before importing a delivery file. This is a documentation-based checklist, not a claim that we have tested your mailbox or application.
Which GMX servers should you use?
International and German GMX help pages list different hosts. Follow the documentation for the mailbox service you actually use; do not switch servers just because this guide is in English.
| Service / source | IMAP · SSL/TLS · 993 | SMTP · STARTTLS · 587 |
|---|---|---|
| GMX international | imap.gmx.com | mail.gmx.com |
| GMX Deutschland | imap.gmx.net | mail.gmx.net |
Check access and the password type
GMX documents a POP3/IMAP access setting. Check it in the mailbox before troubleshooting an importer. With two-factor authentication, review GMX’s app-password guidance; a normal browser password may not be the credential your client needs.
The German service also documents app-password requirements for access from outside Europe, the USA and Canada. Check the service-specific rule rather than treating a regional connection failure as a defective mailbox.
A small, repeatable connection check
- Use the provider’s website to verify access privately. Stop and record any security or recovery prompt.
- Read the delivery-file legend. Keep address, mailbox password, recovery fields and second-factor secrets separate.
- Choose IMAP in your client and enter the appropriate server profile above. Keep encryption enabled.
- Verify that an existing message synchronizes. Then send one test message to another mailbox you control and check receipt separately.
- Restart the client and confirm that the connection still works before configuring additional accounts.
If the connection fails
- Browser sign-in fails
- Use the displayed provider recovery/security route first. Changing an SMTP port does not resolve a web login restriction.
- Browser works; IMAP rejects the login
- Review the mailbox service, access setting and required password type. Check for an outdated saved password.
- Messages arrive but sending fails
- Inspect SMTP settings and authentication independently. IMAP success is not a sending test.
- Timeout or certificate warning
- Check hostname, encryption and your network’s outbound connection policy. Keep certificate validation on; ask your administrator rather than disabling protection.
What to send support
Provide the app/version, service profile, protocol, error text and time, plus an order reference if relevant. Redact passwords, tokens, recovery addresses and message contents. A useful note is: “Browser login succeeds; IMAP on [host/port] returns [error]; SMTP is [tested/not tested].”
The GMX catalogue lists the access included with each package. A purchase does not establish a particular suffix, account age, recovery access or universal app compatibility unless explicitly listed. For ordering questions, use support before choosing a larger quantity.