How to Use InMotion Email with Gmail (2026 Update)

Gmail discontinued support for “Check mail from other accounts” using POP3 in January 2026. If you’ve been using Gmail to fetch email from your InMotion-hosted email accounts, that workflow no longer works. This guide covers the three methods that still work for integrating InMotion email with Gmail.

What Changed in Gmail

Starting January 2026, Gmail no longer supports Gmailify or POP-based fetching of third-party email accounts. The desktop Gmail interface can’t pull in messages from InMotion email addresses anymore.

Emails you already imported remain in Gmail. Only new messages stopped being fetched after the cutoff.

Gmail’s desktop version does not support IMAP for external email accounts. If you need to read InMotion email through Gmail on your computer, you’ll need to use forwarding or switch to a dedicated email client.

Three Ways to Use InMotion Email with Gmail

You have three options depending on your workflow:

Send email from Gmail using InMotion SMTP – Keep using Gmail’s interface but send from your InMotion email address
Access InMotion email via Gmail mobile app – Read and send InMotion email on your phone or tablet
Forward InMotion email to Gmail – Have all InMotion messages appear in your Gmail inbox automatically

Each approach solves different needs. Most people combine option 1 (sending) with either option 2 or 3 (receiving).

Method 1: Send from Your InMotion Email Address Using Gmail

The “Send mail as” feature continues to work after Gmail’s 2026 changes. You can compose messages in Gmail and have them delivered from your InMotion email address.

Get Your InMotion SMTP Settings

You need four pieces of information:

SMTP Server: mail.yourdomain.com (replace with your actual domain)
Port: 465 (SSL) or 587 (TLS)
Username: Your full InMotion email address
Password: Your email account password

You can find these settings in your InMotion Email Configuration Tool.

Add InMotion SMTP to Gmail

Log into Gmail and click the gear icon, then See all settings.
Click the Accounts and import tab.
In the “Send mail as” section, click Add another email address.
Enter your name and InMotion email address. Click Next Step.
Enter your SMTP settings:
SMTP Server: mail.yourdomain.com
Port: 465 or 587
Username: Your full email address
Password: Your email password
Select Secured connection using SSL (port 465) or Secured connection using TLS (port 587).
Click Add Account.

Gmail sends a verification code to your InMotion email. Check your InMotion webmail, copy the code, and paste it into the Gmail verification window.

Click the confirmation link in the verification email.

Set Your Default Sending Address

After verification, Gmail lets you choose which address to use when composing messages.

To always send from your InMotion address:

Go to Gmail Settings > Accounts and import.
In the “Send mail as” section, click make default next to your InMotion email address.

Every new message will now come from your InMotion address instead of your @gmail.com address.

Configure Reply-To Address

If you want replies to go to a different address than the one sending:

In “Send mail as,” click Edit info next to your InMotion address.
Check Specify a different “reply to” address.
Enter the reply-to address and click Save Changes.

Method 2: Access InMotion Email in Gmail Mobile App

The Gmail mobile app supports IMAP connections for third-party email accounts. You can read and send InMotion email directly from the Gmail app on Android, iPhone, or iPad.

Add Your InMotion Account to Gmail Mobile

Open the Gmail app on your phone or tablet.
Tap your profile picture, then Add another account.
Select Other from the account types.
Enter your InMotion email address.
Select Personal (IMAP).
Enter your InMotion email password.
For incoming server settings:
Server: mail.yourdomain.com
Port: 993
Security type: SSL/TLS
For outgoing server settings:
Server: mail.yourdomain.com
Port: 465 or 587
Security type: SSL/TLS
Username: Your full email address
Password: Your email password
Tap Next and complete the setup.

Your InMotion email appears as a separate account in the Gmail app. Swipe between accounts by tapping your profile picture.

What Works (and Doesn’t) on Mobile

The Gmail mobile app gives you full access to InMotion email:

Read messages across all folders (Inbox, Sent, Drafts, custom folders)
Send and reply using your InMotion address
Search your entire InMotion mailbox
Create folders and organize messages
Access messages offline after they sync

You won’t get Gmail-specific features like spam protection, inbox categories, or advanced search operators applied to your InMotion account. Those only work for @gmail.com addresses.

Method 3: Forward InMotion Email to Gmail

Email forwarding sends a copy of every InMotion message to your Gmail inbox automatically. This replicates the old POP3 fetching behavior.

Set Up Forwarding in cPanel

Log into your InMotion cPanel account.
In the Email section, click Forwarders.
Click Add Forwarder.
In the Address to Forward field, enter the InMotion email username (without @yourdomain.com).
Select your domain from the dropdown.
Under Destination, choose Forward to Email Address.
Enter your Gmail address.
Click Add Forwarder.

All new messages sent to your InMotion address now appear in Gmail within minutes.

Important Considerations for Forwarding

Replies go to Gmail by default. When someone replies to a forwarded message, it goes to your @gmail.com address unless you specifically send from your InMotion address using Method 1.

SPF and DKIM alignment matters. Some recipients flag forwarded email as spam because the message originates from InMotion servers but arrives via Gmail. Set up SPF and DKIM records on your InMotion domain to improve deliverability.

Storage fills up on the InMotion server. Forwarding doesn’t delete messages from your InMotion mailbox. The original copy stays on the InMotion server. You’ll need to periodically log into InMotion webmail and delete old messages, or increase your mailbox quota.

You can forward to multiple addresses. In cPanel, create separate forwarders for the same InMotion email address to send copies to multiple Gmail accounts or other destinations.

Alternative: Delete the InMotion Mailbox

If you only want forwarding and don’t need to keep copies on the InMotion server:

Create the forwarder in cPanel first (using the steps above).
Delete the actual email account in cPanel under Email Accounts.

Messages still forward to Gmail, but nothing gets stored on InMotion servers. This prevents mailbox quota issues entirely.

You won’t be able to log into InMotion webmail for that address anymore. All access happens through Gmail.

Which Method Should You Use?

Use Method 1 (SMTP sending) if:

You compose most email in Gmail already
You need replies to come from your professional InMotion domain
You access email primarily on desktop computers
You want to maintain your brand identity in outgoing messages

Use Method 2 (Gmail mobile app) if:

You check email mostly on your phone or tablet
You need access to InMotion folders and organization
You work with multiple email accounts regularly
You want full control over your InMotion mailbox from mobile devices

Use Method 3 (forwarding) if:

You want all messages in one Gmail inbox
You rarely send from your InMotion address
You prefer Gmail’s spam filtering and organization tools
You don’t mind managing storage on the InMotion server

Most InMotion customers combine Method 1 with either Method 2 or Method 3. Send from your InMotion address via SMTP, and either access messages through the mobile app or forward them to Gmail.

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Gmail Won’t Connect to InMotion SMTP

Verify your server settings match exactly:

Server: mail.yourdomain.com (not mail.inmotionhosting.com)
Port and encryption must match (465 + SSL or 587 + TLS)
Username must be your full email address

Check that you’re using the correct email password. Test it by logging into InMotion webmail first.

Some Gmail accounts require you to enable Less secure app access in Google Account settings, though this is deprecated. Using proper SMTP with the correct settings should work without this option.

Forwarded Messages Go to Gmail Spam

Forwarding emails can result in spam or bulk emails being relayed, which may cause Gmail to flag servers as the source of spam.

Configure SPF records to authorize InMotion servers to send on behalf of your domain.

Enable DKIM signing in cPanel to cryptographically sign messages.

Set up a DMARC policy to tell receiving servers how to handle authentication failures.

Create a filter in Gmail to never send messages from your InMotion domain to spam.

InMotion Mailbox Keeps Filling Up

Forwarding doesn’t delete the original messages. Your InMotion mailbox still stores every email.

Options to manage this:

Increase your mailbox quota in cPanel under Email Accounts. InMotion Shared Hosting plans typically allow unlimited storage within your account’s total disk space allocation.

Delete the InMotion email account after setting up forwarding. This prevents storage issues but removes webmail access entirely.

Use IMAP instead of forwarding. Access your InMotion email through an email client and configure it to delete messages from the server after downloading.

Enable automated archiving to move old messages to long-term storage folders automatically.

Mobile App Shows “Can’t Connect” Error

Double-check incoming server settings:

mail.yourdomain.com (not mail.inmotionhosting.com)
Port 993 with SSL/TLS enabled

Verify outgoing server settings match the incoming server domain.

Confirm your InMotion email password works by logging into webmail first.

Contact InMotion Support if your server requires specific firewall rules or IP allowlisting.

Moving to a Dedicated Email Client

If you manage multiple email accounts or need advanced features, consider switching to a dedicated email client instead of Gmail:

Thunderbird (free, Windows/Mac/Linux) supports unlimited IMAP accounts with unified inbox view.

Microsoft Outlook (paid) offers calendaring, contacts, and tasks integrated with email.

Apple Mail (free on Mac/iPhone) provides seamless integration across Apple devices.

eM Client (freemium) includes chat, calendar, and tasks with strong multi-account support.

All of these connect to InMotion email via IMAP (port 993) and SMTP (port 465 or 587) using the settings from your InMotion Email Configuration Tool.

Email clients give you full control over message storage, offline access, and automation rules that Gmail’s web interface can’t match.

What About Receiving Email in Gmail Desktop?

Gmail’s desktop interface does not support IMAP for external email accounts after the January 2026 changes. Your only option for reading InMotion email through the Gmail website is forwarding (Method 3).

If you need to read multiple email accounts on desktop without forwarding:

Use a desktop email client (Thunderbird, Outlook, Apple Mail)
Access InMotion webmail directly at mail.yourdomain.com
Use the Gmail mobile app on a tablet

The desktop Gmail interface now works exclusively with @gmail.com addresses. Third-party accounts only integrate through SMTP sending or automatic forwarding.

Get Help from InMotion Support

If you’re having trouble configuring Gmail to work with your InMotion email:

Contact our 24/7 Support team via phone, chat, or ticket.

Our team can verify your email settings, check server logs for connection issues, and walk you through setup on any device.

Include these details when contacting Support:

Your InMotion domain name
The email address you’re trying to configure
Which method you’re attempting (SMTP sending, mobile IMAP, or forwarding)
Any error messages you’re seeing
The device and app you’re using

InMotion Support can test your SMTP and IMAP connections from our end to confirm your credentials work correctly before troubleshooting client-side configuration.

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