Exact Hosting Email Settings: IMAP, POP3, SMTP, MX, and SPF Records

This article is the single reference for the incoming and outgoing mail server settings you enter when connecting any email program — on a phone, tablet, or computer — to your Exact Hosting mailbox. Find the table that matches your product and server, then enter those values in your mail client.

About Exact Hosting email products

Exact Hosting offers two email products, and the settings you use depend on which one your mailbox is on.

Enhanced Email runs on one of two clusters, A or B. Each cluster has its own server hostname. cPanel email uses the hostname of the specific cPanel hosting server your account lives on. Before you configure a client, identify your product and server using the steps below.

If you are not sure which settings to use, the IMAP vs POP: Which Should You Use? explainer helps you choose a connection type, and the per-device guides (linked under Next steps) walk through entering these values screen by screen.

Before you begin

• Your full email address and password. Your username is always the complete address (for example, you@example.com), and the password is your email account password — not your Exact Hosting portal password.
• Knowledge of which product you use. Enhanced Email (cluster A or B) or cPanel email. See Step 1 if you are unsure.

Step 1: Identify your server

Enhanced Email — find your cluster (A or B)

1. Sign in to your Exact Hosting account.
2. Click the Services icon.
3. Look at your Enhanced Email listing. The cluster letter (A or B) appears in parentheses next to the product name.

Note: If you see Enhanced Email with no letter, your service defaults to cluster A.

cPanel email — find your server name

1. Sign in to your Exact Hosting account.
2. Click the Services icon.
3. Click Active next to your hosting service.
4. Click Login to cPanel.
5. Your server name appears in the browser's address bar. You will use this hostname as both your incoming and outgoing mail server.

Step 2: Use the settings for your product

The username is always your full email address, and the password is your email account password. Use the SSL ports whenever your client offers them.

Enhanced Email — Cluster A

Enhanced Email — Cluster B

cPanel email

Your incoming and outgoing mail server is your cPanel server name — the hostname you found in Step 1.

Warning: Always choose the SSL ports when your mail client offers them. The non-SSL ports send your password unencrypted across the network.

Port reference

If your client asks for ports by name rather than by product, use this table.

Note: Non-SSL incoming ports (143 and 110) are available on cPanel email only. Enhanced Email requires SSL connections.

MX and SPF records (for routing mail to Exact Hosting)

The settings above connect a mail client to an existing mailbox. To route a domain's mail to Exact Hosting in the first place, you also need the correct DNS records. The full walkthrough is in Configuring Email DNS Records and Mail Client Settings, but here is the quick reference. Replace example.com with your own domain.

For the full SPF walkthrough, see Setting Up SPF Records for Exact Hosting Email.

Next steps

• Set up a specific device or app. Follow the step-by-step guides for iPhone & iPad, Outlook (Windows & Mac), Apple Mail (macOS), or Android.
• Choose between IMAP and POP. Read IMAP vs POP: Which Should You Use? before you decide.
• Connection failing? See Email Client Connection Errors (Password / Port / SSL) for the most common fixes.

Questions? Contact Exact Hosting Support.