These Are the Fastmail POP Server Settings

Looking to set up an email program to download emails from a Fastmail account? Find here the exact Fastmail POP server settings to copy and paste (and how to download from folders other than the inbox to boot).

First, Horace Walpole Reads a Fairy Tale

In the classic Persian stories of the Three Princes of Serendip, a series of tales within tales has those three princes make discoveries mostly by—chance. With this in the back of his mind, Horace Walpole coined the word “serendipity.”

Want discovering new email in your Fastmail account (and folders other than the inbox!) feel less like chance? Here are the exact POP3 settings to use for a happy ending:

Copy and Paste Fastmail POP Server Settings to Access Email

Name	Value
Fastmail POP server	copy
POP port	copy
Require TLS security	yes (if available)
Require SSL security	yes (if TLS is not available)
STARTTLS security	no
Username	Your full Fastmail email address (including the domain) for the Inbox (see below for other folders)
Password	A Fastmail application password (you cannot fetch mail using your regular Fastmail password)

Note: This configuration will retrieve emails from the Inbox folder but not messages filtered to other folders on the server. See below for Fastmail POP3 settings for other folders

For sending emails as well, see the Fastmail SMTP settings.

Fastmail POP not working? How to Check the Fastmail Status

Fastmail POP Server Settings: FAQ

Can I fetch emails from other folders other than the Inbox?

Yes.

To download emails from a folder other than the Fastmail inbox:

1. Set up a new POP account in your email program.
2. Use the settings above with one exception:
   Append +<folder> to the email address used as the username, replacing “<folder>” with the folder’s name.
   Example: If you log in using me@fastmail.fm as the username for the Inbox and wish to download email arriving in the “Hokkaidotrip” folder, use me+Hokkaidotrip@fastmail.fm as the username for the email account.
3. Set up a separate POP account for downloading from each folder.

Port 995 is blocked. Which alternative Fastmail POP settings and ports can I use?

If you cannot use port 995, you can still access Fastmail using the following POP settings:

Name	Value
POP server	copy
POP port	copy
POP port alternative	25, 80, or any open port
Require TLS security	yes (if available)
Require SSL security	yes (if TLS is not available)
STARTTLS security	no
Username	Your full Fastmail email address
Password	A Fastmail application password

Using ‘@’ in the username does not work; is there an alternative?

Yes.

If you cannot use the character ‘@’ in the username for accessing Fastmail via POP, you can

• replace it with one of the following: # = or / .
  Example: Instead of the username example@fastmail.fm, use example#fastmail.fm.

Does Fastmail also offer IMAP? Should I use it instead?

You can also access a Fastmail account using IMAP and JMAP—and usually you should.

IMAP and JMAP allow you to access all folders seamlessly and synchronize changes (such as moving a message) between different email programs and Fastmail on the web automatically.

POP access does give you a “private” copy on the local machine, however, on which you can operate without it affecting the message elsewhere. Fetching through Fastmail POP might be useful for creating a backup, for example.

(Copy and paste Fastmail POP server settings updated January 2024)