- Have your email login ready (password OR App Password if you use 2FA) - For Gmail/Outlook with 2FA, you'll need an App Password from your email provider - Decide if this is a personal mailbox (just yours) or a firm mailbox (shared, like billing@firm.com)

- Go to Settings → Integrations → Email - Pick your provider: Gmail / Outlook / Yahoo / Zoho / IMAP (other) - For Gmail/Outlook/Zoho: click Connect → OAuth flow → grant access - For Yahoo or generic IMAP: enter email, App Password, host (e.g. imap.gmail.com), port (993 default), display name - Click Save — auto-sync runs every 1 minute (matches Outlook Send/Receive) - Manage rules in the Auto-Rules tab to route emails to client folders automatically - Set up your email signature in the Signatures tab (auto-inserted on compose and reply)

- 2FA on Gmail or Outlook? Generate an App Password from your email account's security page — don't use your regular password - Multiple inboxes? You can connect more than one — personal mailbox AND firm-level mailboxes (like billing@yourfirm.com) - Emails from clients automatically route to that client's folder — no CC chains needed - Spam/Junk/Bulk folders are excluded from your task panel by design (less noise)

- "Auth failed": password rotated, or 2FA enabled without App Password — re-enter credentials - Sync hasn't run in over a minute: check Settings → Integrations → email card status; click Test Connection - Folder created in ProDeskCPA but not in your provider: two-way sync should mirror — check provider's webmail to confirm

- Set up your firm profile and branding (your firm domain affects email signatures) - Add a new client (their email auto-routes to a client folder)