Configuring Macintosh OS-X Mail V3 Application

Mail.app is the new mail client with OS-X. V3 is standard on Leopard.
  1. First start mail.
  2. Then select Preferences from the Mail Menu. That will gring up a the following window:

  3. The window may not be set for Accounts. If it is not, then click on the Accounts icon and it will look like the picture above.
  4. Click on the LAFN mail account if it is not already selected.

  5. Fill in the Email Address with your address.
  6. Fill in the Full Name as you wish it to appear in messages you send.
  7. Fill in the Incoming Mail Server as shown.
  8. Fill in the User Name with your user id.
  9. Fill in the Password with your password.
  10. If the Outgoing Mail Server button and pull down to Edit Server List.

  11. This will bring up the outgoing mail server settings:

  12. Select the LAFN outgoing mail server "smtp.lafn.org". If it does not exist then click on the + button and create it.
  13. Click on the Advanced Tab.

  14. Set the Server port to 25, 26, 587 as necessary. With so many ISPs blocking port 25, we now recommend always using port 26, or 587.
  15. Make sure the Use Secure Sockets Layer checkbox is checked.
  16. Set Authentication to Password.
  17. Enter your user id in User Name (id not e-mail address) and password.
  18. To not use SSL/TLS clear the Use Secure Sockets Layer checkbox.
  19. Click on OK.
  20. You are now back on the Accounts screen. Click on the Advanced tab.

  21. Set up the entries as shown. This will enable the downloading of mail using SSL/TLS to protect your user id and password.
  22. Click on OK.
  23. Close the Accounts window.

If you have configured SSL/TLS then when mail first tries to receive or send mail it will give you a dialog box about the certificate not being able to be authenticated. This occurs because the LAFN certificates are self-signed. You can either accept the certificate for use during this mail session by clicking the Continue button or you can follow the next procedure to accept each certificates until they expire. Note, there are two certificates involved: one for sending mail and one for downloading mail.

See the Installing LAFN Certificates on Your Computer FAQ for instructions.

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This page last updated: Oct 28, 2008