Quickstart
Connect your first mailbox, verify the connection, configure warmup, and know what to expect in the first week.
This guide takes you from a fresh account to an actively warming mailbox in about five minutes.
1. Add a mailbox
From the dashboard, click Add mailbox and choose how to connect:
- Google or Microsoft OAuth — one-click connect, when available for your account.
- SMTP/IMAP with an app password — works for Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, Zoho, and any custom mail server.
- Sending relay — if you route mail through a relay.
Enter your email address and a sender name. The sender name is the From name shown on your warmup mail — if you leave it blank, one is derived from your address. A real name ("Sara Klein" rather than "sales@") makes warmup conversations look natural.
If you're connecting via SMTP/IMAP, enter your SMTP host, port, username, and password, plus your IMAP host and port. Defaults are 587 (SMTP) and 993 (IMAP), and a use same credentials toggle copies your SMTP login to IMAP. Provider-specific hosts are covered in the guides for Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, Zoho, and any SMTP/IMAP server.
2. Pass the connection test
Before saving anything, EmailWarmer runs a real connection test: an SMTP verification and an actual IMAP login. If either fails, you'll see the error and can correct credentials on the spot. Nothing starts until both sides pass.
3. Run the DNS audit (optional, recommended)
The onboarding flow offers a DNS audit that checks SPF, DKIM, and DMARC and suggests fixes. Warmup helps most when your DNS foundations are correct, so fix anything flagged here first. You can also run a standalone check anytime with the SPF/DKIM/DMARC checker.
4. Configure warmup
Set your warmup behavior — the defaults are sensible if you're unsure:
| Setting | Default |
|---|---|
| Daily target volume | 20–40 emails/day |
| Reply rate target | 35% |
| Working hours | 8:00–18:00 |
| Working days | Mon–Fri (7-day optional) |
| Timezone | Your local timezone |
| Industry tags | None (steer conversation topics) |
Every setting is explained in the settings reference, and you can change any of them later per mailbox.
5. Start warmup
Click Start Warmup. Your mailbox joins the warmup network and the scheduler plans its first day of sends.
Warmup ramps gradually for safety: 5 emails/day for the first three days, climbing to your daily target by day 30. You won't hit 40/day on day one — that's deliberate. See how warmup works for the full ramp schedule.
What you'll see in the first 24 hours
- First sends within your working hours. The scheduler spreads sends across the window you configured, with natural jitter. If you start warmup at 9 pm, expect the first messages the next working day.
- Opens and replies appearing. Recipient mailboxes in the network poll roughly every 10 minutes — they open your mail, rescue it from spam if needed, and reply. Early activity shows up within hours of the first sends.
- Dashboards populating. Sent, opened, replied, and rescued counts start accumulating on the mailbox detail page.
What you'll see in the first week
Volume climbs from 5/day toward ~17/day by day 7. Reply threads develop — conversations run up to 4 messages before ending naturally. Your placement and reputation metrics begin to show trend lines instead of single data points.
Resist the urge to raise the volume slider in week one. Reputation is built by consistent, gradually increasing activity — the ramp does that for you.