IMAP settings · dreamhost.com
DreamHost IMAP settings
DreamHost serves every hosted domain from the same pair of hosts, so the settings do not depend on your domain at all: imap.dreamhost.com in, smtp.dreamhost.com out. The older per-server names still float around in old forum answers, and they are the usual reason a client that worked for years suddenly stops.
IMAP connection
- Server
- imap.dreamhost.com
- Port
- 993
- Encryption
- SSL/TLS
- Username
- full address
- Password
- the mailbox password
Sending, SMTP
- Server
- smtp.dreamhost.com
- Port
- 465
- Encryption
- SSL/TLS
Checked against the service's own autoconfiguration file on 2026-09-15 — the same source Thunderbird reads when it fills the settings in for you. Source: autoconfig.dreamhost.com
What breaks here.
- Use imap.dreamhost.com, not the machine name of the server your hosting sits on. Old per-machine hostnames from forum posts are the classic cause of a sudden failure.
- The username is the full mailbox address, not the DreamHost panel login.
- Port 993 with SSL is the one to use; 143 with STARTTLS works too, plain 143 without encryption does not.
- A mailbox and a hosting account are different credentials — changing the panel password does not change the mailbox one.
Questions
The short answers
Which hosts does DreamHost use?
imap.dreamhost.com on 993 with SSL for receiving, smtp.dreamhost.com on 465 with SSL for sending. The same for every hosted domain.
Is there an app password?
No. DreamHost takes the mailbox password directly.
What is the username?
The full email address of the mailbox.
Can I migrate DreamHost mail to another provider?
Yes — over IMAP, with folders, flags and dates preserved and nothing deleted at DreamHost.
Find out how big your mailbox is. It costs nothing.
Connect two servers, look at the size and decide. Or take the client and keep everything on your side.
Code on GitHub · built on imapsync · no sign-up