Connecting Skyline email to Outlook (desktop)

Skyline Mail is Skyline Cloud's business email service, and it works with Microsoft Outlook on both Windows and macOS. This guide walks you through adding your Skyline mailbox to Outlook using IMAP (incoming) and SMTP (outgoing), gives you the exact server settings, and covers what to do if Outlook cannot connect.

Note: Desktop screenshots are intentionally skipped in this article — Outlook's "Add Account" screens change between versions, so we describe the steps and exact values instead.

Before you begin

You will need:

• Your full email address (for example, you@yourdomain.com) — this is also your username.
• Your mailbox password (the password set for that mailbox in the Skyline portal).
• A working internet connection.

Make sure your domain's email is already routed to Skyline (MX, SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records published). If you can already sign in to webmail at mail.alskyline.com, your mailbox is ready to connect to Outlook.

Server settings (copy these exactly)

Use the following values when Outlook asks for manual / advanced setup. Both servers use the same hostname, mail.alskyline.com.

A few important points:

• The username is always the full email address (you@yourdomain.com), never just the part before the @.
• Outgoing authentication is required. Tell Outlook to use the same username and password for the SMTP (outgoing) server as for incoming mail.
• If port 465 does not connect on your network, try 587 with STARTTLS instead — both are supported.

Adding the account in Outlook (Windows)

1. Open Outlook and go to File → Add Account (in newer Outlook, File → Info → Add Account).
2. Type your full Skyline email address, then click Advanced options and tick Let me set up my account manually. Click Connect.
3. When asked to choose an account type, select IMAP.
4. Enter the settings from the table above:
   • Incoming mail: mail.alskyline.com, port 993, encryption SSL/TLS.
   • Outgoing mail: mail.alskyline.com, port 465 (SSL/TLS) — or 587 with STARTTLS if 465 fails.
5. When prompted, enter your mailbox password and click Connect.
6. Wait for Outlook to verify both servers. Once it succeeds, click Done, then restart Outlook so it can sync your folders.

If Outlook auto-detects different settings, override them with the exact values above. The new Outlook for Windows may route the setup through a simplified wizard — choose IMAP and enter the same servers, ports, and encryption.

Adding the account in Outlook (macOS)

1. Open Outlook and go to Outlook → Settings → Accounts (or Tools → Accounts).
2. Click the + button and choose New Account (or Add Email Account).
3. Enter your full Skyline email address and continue. When asked for the provider, choose IMAP/POP (select IMAP).
4. Fill in:
   • Incoming server: mail.alskyline.com, port 993, SSL/TLS enabled.
   • Outgoing server: mail.alskyline.com, port 465 (SSL/TLS) — or 587 with STARTTLS.
   • Username: your full email address. Password: your mailbox password.
5. Click Add Account, then Done. Outlook will begin downloading your mail.

Troubleshooting: Outlook cannot connect

If Outlook reports that it cannot reach the server, or the password is rejected after you have confirmed it is correct, work through the following:

1. Re-check the basics. Confirm the username is the full email address, the hostname is exactly mail.alskyline.com, and encryption is SSL/TLS (not "None"). Confirm outgoing authentication is enabled and set to use the same credentials.
2. Try the alternate SMTP port. If 465 (SSL) fails to send, switch the outgoing server to port 587 with STARTTLS.
3. Confirm the password in webmail. Sign in at mail.alskyline.com/webmail/login. If webmail works but Outlook does not, the credentials are correct and the issue is the client connection itself.
4. External clients may be restricted. For security, some workspaces restrict external IMAP/POP clients and require webmail. If Outlook still cannot connect after the steps above, ask your Skyline workspace admin to enable external client (IMAP/POP) access for your mailbox. Once enabled, retry the setup.

Alternative: Exchange ActiveSync for calendar and contacts

IMAP/SMTP handles email only. Skyline mail also supports Exchange ActiveSync, which syncs your calendar and contacts alongside mail. If you need calendar and contact sync in Outlook (or on a phone), ask your Skyline admin whether ActiveSync is enabled for your mailbox and request the ActiveSync server details. For pure email, the IMAP/SMTP settings above are all you need.

Need help?

If you have followed these steps and Outlook still will not connect, open a support ticket from your customer portal at cloud.alskyline.com (Support section) and include the exact error message you see — our team will check your mailbox's external-access setting and help you finish the setup.