AutoConfig and Autodiscover

Overview

The AutoConfig and Autodiscover services simplify the configuration of a user's mail client for receiving their cPanel email. These services are compatible with Microsoft Outlook®, Outlook Express®, Thunderbird, and most other widely used mail clients.

Warning: The Autodiscover feature does not work with email addresses added in the following mail clients:

• Microsoft Outlook 2016
• Microsoft Outlook 2019
• Microsoft Outlook for Office 365
• Any mobile mail client.

Enable AutoConfig and Autodiscover

To enable AutoConfig and Autodiscover, follow these steps:

1. Navigate to the Domains section within WHM’s Tweak Settings interface (WHM » Home » Server Configuration » Tweak Settings).
2. Locate the Service subdomains setting. If currently disabled, set it to On.
3. Find the Thunderbird and Outlook autodiscover and autoconfig support (enables service subdomain and SRV record creation) setting and select On.
4. Click Save.

Note:

• In cPanel & WHM version 120 and later, the Service subdomains and Thunderbird and Outlook autodiscover and autoconfig support (enables service subdomain and SRV record creation) settings are enabled by default. For further details, refer to the Domains section of our Tweak Settings documentation.
• To learn more about service subdomains, please consult our Service and Proxy Subdomains documentation.

Additional Settings

Additional AutoConfig and Autodiscover settings are available in the Domains section of WHM’s Tweak Settings interface (WHM » Home » Server Configuration » Tweak Settings):

• Preferred mail service to configure to use for Thunderbird and Outlook® autodiscover and autoconfig support — This setting allows you to specify the preferred email transfer method for Thunderbird and Outlook with Autodiscover and AutoConfig support.

  • By default, this setting is configured for IMAP.

    Note:

    • It is recommended to select IMAP over POP3.
    • You must enable the Thunderbird and Outlook autodiscover and autoconfig support (enables service subdomain and SRV record creation) option to configure this setting.

• Host to publish in the SRV records for Outlook autodiscover support. — Microsoft Outlook's Autodiscover service queries DNS for an SRV record associated with an email inbox's domain, which directs it to a specific server for Autodiscover. The default server for this is cpanelemaildiscovery.cpanel.net.

  This setting provides system administrators with the flexibility to:

  • Select the host that the system publishes to the SRV records.
  • Modify the default host if they possess an SSL-enabled host with an SSL certificate signed by a Certificate Authority.
  • Utilize their own server for Outlook® Autodiscover. Input that server’s Fully Qualified Domain Name (FQDN) into the provided text box.
  • Enabling the Host to publish in the SRV records for Outlook autodiscover support feature instructs the system to query the specified server for Autodiscover settings.
  • A custom XML file is required for this feature to function correctly.

  The default value for this setting is cpanelemaildiscovery.cpanel.net.

  Note:

  • For detailed guidance on using a custom XML file, refer to Mozilla’s autoconfiguration documentation or Microsoft Exchange’s Autodiscover documentation.
  • To configure this setting, you must enable the Thunderbird and Outlook autodiscover and autoconfig support (enables service subdomain and SRV record creation) option.

  Additional information about Microsoft Outlook’s Autodiscover feature can be found on Microsoft’s Support website.

Warning: It is strongly recommended to use signed certificates from a Certificate Authority (CA) instead of self-signed certificates, as the latter can pose security risks. Self-signed certificates may also trigger warning messages in web browsers.

Use AutoConfig and Autodiscover

To utilize AutoConfig and Autodiscover, simply input your cPanel email address and password into your mail client. The services will then automatically configure your client.

Apple Mail Clients

Apple® mail clients currently do not support AutoConfig or AutoDiscover for IMAP servers. For AutoConfig and Autodiscover functionality with Apple products, your server must be running Exchange, not IMAP.

When setting up an Apple mail client to access your cPanel email address, we strongly recommend following the instructions provided in our Email Accounts documentation.