Email channel guide
Privacy and storage
- Your mailbox is the original source. MuseRelay stores the message text (up to 64 KB) and the thread data, encrypted, not the full email.
- Passwords are stored encrypted and are never shown in the panel.
- All connections are encrypted (SSL/TLS or STARTTLS); MuseRelay never suggests unencrypted connections.
What MuseRelay stores and what stays in your mailbox
An email has three parts, and they are not all stored in the same place:
| Part | Where it is |
|---|---|
| Text (what you read in the panel conversation) | Copy stored in MuseRelay, encrypted |
| Formatted version (the email's HTML design) | Copy stored in MuseRelay, encrypted, for inbox and Automated emails (not Spam). Images are not stored: they load from the sender only if you ask |
| Attachments (PDFs, photos…) | Only in your mailbox |
The design (HTML) of inbox emails is stored encrypted when they arrive, so they show formatted instantly and even if they are later deleted from the mailbox. Spam emails are not stored, to avoid taking up space with junk. Attachments are not copied: MuseRelay fetches them from your mailbox only when someone clicks one.
If you move an email to another folder in your mailbox, nothing changes: MuseRelay looks for it in your folders and can still open its formatted version and attachments.
If you delete an email in your mailbox:
- The text stays in the MuseRelay conversation: deleting in the mailbox does not delete your support history.
- If its formatting was stored (inbox emails), it still shows formatted. Attachments (and the formatting of emails that didn't have it stored) can no longer be opened, because the original no longer exists: the panel will show “This email is no longer in the mailbox”.
If you need to keep an attachment, download it from the panel before deleting the email in your mailbox.
Common problems
| Message or situation | What to do |
|---|---|
| “Check the password of…” notification and red alert in Connection | Your mail server rejected the username or password 3 times in a row and MuseRelay stopped trying so your account isn't locked. Fix the password (in Gmail, Yahoo or iCloud create a new app password), click “Test connection” and “Save”: it reconnects right away. |
| I moved an email back from the trash to the Inbox in my webmail and it doesn't show in MuseRelay | It only comes back if you deleted it in MuseRelay with “Also move the emails to the mailbox trash”: then it reappears within a minute or two. It goes through the filters again: if it was phishing, spam or an automated email, look for it in the Spam or Automated tab. If you deleted it without that box, MuseRelay treats it as deleted and doesn't show it again, even if it is still in your mailbox. |
| I moved emails from the spam folder to the Inbox in my webmail and in MuseRelay they are still in Spam | MuseRelay already had them and doesn't duplicate them. With "Sync spam with your webmail" on (channel → Connection) they go back to the inbox by themselves within a few minutes. If it was off when you moved them, move them back from the panel: Spam tab → select them → "Not spam", with the mailbox box unticked. |
| I can't see the replies sent from MuseRelay in “Sent” in my email program (Outlook, Thunderbird, phone…) | Your program is set up with POP3, which only downloads the inbox. Set it up with IMAP, using the same details MuseRelay uses to receive: you'll see “Sent” just like in webmail. If it already uses IMAP, refresh the folders or wait for it to sync. |
| MuseRelay moved an email to spam (or to the trash or “Sent”) but I can't see the folder in my webmail | If the folder didn't exist, MuseRelay creates it. Some webmails such as Roundcube only load folders when you log in: reload the page or log out and back in. |
| There is no server called “…” | The server name is misspelt. Use “Detect automatically” or check your provider's details. |
| Not responding on port… / refuses connections on port… | Wrong port or encryption. Usually 993 with SSL/TLS to receive and 587 with STARTTLS to send. |
| Wrong username or password | Check the password and use the full email address as the username. Avoid many failed attempts in a row: some servers block temporarily after several failures. |
| This provider requires an app password | Gmail, Google Workspace, Yahoo or iCloud: create an app password in your account security settings and use it here. |
| IMAP/SMTP access is disabled | Enable it in your email settings or ask your administrator (common in Microsoft 365). |
| It has probably blocked our IP | Your mail server blocked MuseRelay's connection, usually after several failed attempts. Ask your provider to unblock and whitelist the IP shown in the message, and wait a few minutes. |
| Secure connection failed (certificate) | Check the chosen encryption and that the server name matches its certificate (for example the one your hosting gives you, not your domain). |
| This mailbox is already connected in channel… | That mailbox is already used in another channel. To change its details, follow the link in the warning and reconfigure that channel: connecting it twice would make both process the same emails. |
| “This email is no longer in the mailbox” when clicking “View formatted” or an attachment | The email has been deleted from your mailbox. If nobody deleted it by hand, check whether the account is set up in another program or on a phone with POP3 and “delete from server after downloading”, or a rule or filter that deletes email: switch it to IMAP or turn that option off. |
| An email arrives with only its subject in brackets | The email had no text, only a subject. This is normal: it keeps the conversation from looking empty. |