163.com Email Settings: IMAP, SMTP and the Authorization Code

Q: What are the NetEase 163 IMAP settings?

Use imap.163.com on port 993 with SSL, your full address as the username. The password is a client authorization code . IMAP/SMTP service has to be enabled first, which is also how you get the code. The same values serve yeah.net addresses. Everything else sits in the IMAP settings table .

Quick answer: the 163 IMAP server is imap.163.com on port 993 with SSL. The outgoing server is smtp.163.com on port 465 with SSL. Port 994 works where 465 is blocked. The POP3 server is pop.163.com on port 995. Your username is the full address. The password has to be a client authorization code, 16 characters, which NetEase hands you when you switch the service on. Your ordinary mailbox password will not work in a client.

None of these came from another guide. They are taken from live IMAP and SMTP connections opened by Univik email software. We have built email backup and converter tools since 2013, so servers of this shape are routine work here. See what changed →

What Changed Recently#

The hosts have been steady for years. What catches people is the credential and, occasionally, which host name to trust.

Latest update

Mail clients need a client authorization code, not your mailbox password. NetEase documentation is direct about this. Third party clients must sign in with a specially generated code rather than the password you use on the website. It runs to 16 characters and it is displayed only at the moment you generate it, so copy it before you close anything.

Earlier change

The code comes with the switch. On some services you enable access in one place and hunt for a password in another. NetEase provides the authorization password as part of enabling IMAP/SMTP service or POP3/SMTP service, which means if you never saw a code, you probably never completed the switch.

Earlier change

Domain specific hosts exist, though the 163 ones are the better bet. A yeah.net address has smtp.yeah.net. The sibling 126 service has imap.126.com. Those are real. NetEase guidance nonetheless points at the 163.com host names as the most broadly compatible choice across all its personal mailboxes, which is why they are what this page publishes.

Current status: IMAP, POP3 and SMTP all work once the matching service is enabled and you are signing in with the authorization code rather than your mailbox password.

Before You Begin#

Two things. On NetEase they arrive together rather than separately. That is a small mercy compared with some providers.

1. Switch the service on

NetEase keeps client access off until you enable it. IMAP/SMTP service and POP3/SMTP service are separate switches, so turning on one leaves the other off.

Where: NetEase Mail home page → Settings → POP3/SMTP/IMAP

2. Keep the authorization code

NetEase gives you the code as you enable the service. It shows it once. Copy it there and then. It is 16 characters and it replaces your password in every client.

Where: Authorization code steps below →

About NetEase 163 Mail#

163.com is NetEase's free email service and one of the most recognised Chinese email suffixes, sitting alongside its companion 126 and yeah.net mailboxes.

NetEase is better known outside China for gaming than for email, though the mailbox came first, reportedly launching in 1997. What matters when configuring a client is the credential. NetEase will not accept your mailbox password from an outside program. It issues a separate client authorization code instead, handing it over at the moment you switch the service on. Get that sequence right and the rest is ordinary IMAP.

Service Name	NetEase 163 Mail
Owned By	NetEase
Launched	Reported as 1997, which we have seen in one source rather than several
Email Domains	`@163.com` and `@yeah.net`. The sibling `@126.com` shares the same setup
Webmail URL	mail.163.com
Protocols Supported	IMAP, POP3, SMTP, each behind its own service switch
App Password Needed	Yes. NetEase calls it a client authorization code, 16 characters
Free Storage	Not published in a form we could verify, so no figure appears here

yeah.net addresses use these settings too: NetEase runs 163, 126 and yeah.net as one family of personal mailboxes on a single security policy. The setup process is the same for all three, so a @yeah.net address takes everything on this page unchanged.

About those domain matching host names. They do exist. There genuinely is an smtp.yeah.net. The sibling 126 service genuinely has an imap.126.com. We are publishing the 163.com host names anyway, because NetEase guidance describes them as the most broadly compatible option across all of its personal mailboxes. If you already have a working configuration on a domain matching host, there is no reason to change it. If you are setting up fresh, use these.

NetEase Enterprise Mail is a different service. NetEase also runs a business product on qiye.163.com hosts for company domains, with its own server names and its own port list. If your address is on your employer's domain rather than @163.com or @yeah.net, the values here are not the ones you need and your administrator will have the right ones.

Both columns are true. The right one is the safer bet.

NetEase 163 Webmail Login#

The browser is where the service switch lives and where the authorization code is issued, so you will be here at least once:

Webmail

mail.163.com

Account Security

mail.163.com

Password Recovery

help.mail.163.com

Watch out for fake support pages. Several pages ranking for these settings open with a phone number and an offer of paid help. Neither NetEase nor Univik needs you to ring anybody to type in a server address. Every value here costs nothing.

What NetEase Needs Before You Connect#

Client access is off until you turn it on. The credential you need arrives as part of turning it on. That pairing is worth knowing, because it tells you where to look when something is missing.

Open NetEase Mail in a browser and go to Settings, then POP3/SMTP/IMAP.
Enable the service you actually want. The IMAP/SMTP and POP3/SMTP services each have their own switch. Turning on one leaves the other off, so choose IMAP unless you have a specific reason to want POP3.
Expect a security verification. NetEase checks it is really you before opening client access.
Copy the authorization code when it appears. It arrives as part of enabling the service and it is shown once. Sixteen characters.
Use it as the password in your client, with your full address as the username. Your mailbox password is refused here whatever else is correct.

Unusually joined up. It gives you a useful diagnostic.

Enabling one tells you nothing about the other.

If you never saw a code, you never finished the switch. This is the useful consequence of the two arriving together. It is well documented rather than folklore. Chinese language guidance describes the code appearing at the final step of enabling the service. It stresses saving the code there and then, because it will not be shown again. On services where access and credentials live in separate places, a missing password tells you nothing about whether access is on. Here it does. Someone who cannot find their authorization code has almost certainly not completed the enable step, so going back to Settings and POP3/SMTP/IMAP is a better use of time than searching the account pages for a password screen.

NetEase 163 IMAP Settings#

IMAP is the incoming protocol to choose. Mail is left on the server, which is what makes every device agree about the inbox.

IMAP Server	`imap.163.com`
Port	`993`
Encryption	SSL/TLS (required)
Username	Your full email address, including `@163.com`
Password	Your 16 character authorization code, never the mailbox password
Requires	IMAP/SMTP service switched on beforehand

NetEase 163 POP3 Settings#

POP3 pulls everything onto one machine. Sensible for a single computer keeping a local copy, awkward otherwise. Weighing it up? A comparison follows below.

POP3 Server	`pop.163.com`
Port	`995`
Encryption	SSL/TLS (required)
Username	Your full email address
Password	The same authorization code

POP3 sits behind its own switch here. POP3/SMTP service is enabled separately from IMAP/SMTP service, so having one on does nothing for the other. If you do go with POP, tick "leave a copy on the server" unless you are certain you want the mailbox emptied into a single computer.

NetEase 163 SMTP Settings#

NetEase publishes an unusual second SMTP port: alongside 465, smtp.163.com accepts 994 with SSL. Port 994 is not a number you see on many mail services, which is exactly why it is worth knowing about. If 465 is blocked on your network, 994 is the alternative to reach for rather than 587, which we have not been able to verify for this service.

SMTP carries outgoing mail. The same authorization code covers both directions on NetEase, so a credential problem tends to stop everything at once rather than sending alone.

SMTP Server	`smtp.163.com`
Port	`465` with SSL
Alternate port	`994` with SSL. An unusual choice that NetEase genuinely supports, worth trying where 465 is blocked
Outgoing authentication	Required, using the same details as incoming
Encryption	SSL or STARTTLS (required)
Username	Your full email address
Password	That same authorization code, since outgoing has no credential of its own
Authentication	Required. In Outlook this is the outgoing server authentication tickbox.

Check NetEase 163 IMAP Settings Online#

You don't need to download anything to check NetEase 163 IMAP settings online. This page is the lookup: every value is verified, current and copyable straight from your browser. Not sure your address uses NetEase 163 servers? Type it below and find out instantly.

Does my email address use these settings?

Runs in your browser only. Your address is never sent anywhere or stored.

Want to verify the account itself before configuring an app? Sign in at NetEase 163 webmail, which confirms your address and password work, then confirm an app password exists. If both pass, any email app connects with the tables above.

Look Up IMAP Settings for Any Email Domain#

This page covers NetEase 163. For every other address, work email on a company domain included, we run a free online lookup database: imapsettings.com.

imapsettings.com

Complete email settings database, by Univik

Check IMAP settings online →

Enter any email address and get the incoming and outgoing server settings for that domain in 1 step:

Incoming server: hostname, port, SSL/TLS and username format

Outgoing server: SMTP hostname, port and encryption

The address is read in your browser purely to identify the domain. It is not sent anywhere.

The NetEase Client Authorization Code#

NetEase issues a separate credential for outside programs. Here is which one belongs where:

Where you sign in	Mailbox password	Authorization code
NetEase Mail in a browser	✓ Works	Not used here
Official NetEase mobile apps	✓ Works	Not used here
Outlook, Apple Mail, Thunderbird	✗ Rejected	✓ Required
Backup and migration tools	✗ Rejected	✓ Required

The left column is refused by every mail client.

How to Get the Authorization Code

Go to Settings, then POP3/SMTP/IMAP in NetEase Mail. This is the same place as the service switch, because the two go together.
Enable IMAP/SMTP service if it is not on already. The code is issued as part of this.
Clear the security verification NetEase presents.
Copy the 16 character code immediately. It is shown once at generation. There is no screen that will show it to you again later.
Paste it into your client as the password, using your full address as the username.

Worth doing occasionally: sign in to webmail and look over the list of authorization codes you have issued, clearing out any belonging to devices you no longer use. Each one is a live route into the mailbox. An old laptop you sold two years ago does not need one. Knowing the code is 16 characters also helps as a sanity check, since something noticeably shorter means you copied the wrong thing off the page.

Set Up NetEase 163 in Email Clients#

Both domains take the same hosts and the same authorization code. Only the menus change. All of this assumes the service is already enabled. Pick your app:

Outlook Apple Mail iPhone and iPad Android Thunderbird

Two highlighted rows. The port one surprises people.

Outlook (Windows and Mac)

Inside Outlook take File, then Add Account. The newer Outlook puts this under Settings, then Accounts.
Enter your NetEase 163 address, open Advanced options and check "Let me set up my account manually".
Choose IMAP and enter imap.163.com on port 993 with SSL, then smtp.163.com on port 465 with SSL. Port 994 also works.
Put the authorization code in the password field, then turn on outgoing server authentication under More Settings.
Finish by writing to your own address. A single round trip covers sending and receiving.

Apple Mail (macOS)

Starting in Apple Mail, take Settings, then Accounts, then Add Account.
Choose Other Mail Account. Apple carries no NetEase entry among its providers.
Give it your name, the full address and the authorization code, then continue.
If host names are requested, they are in the IMAP and SMTP tables higher up.
Keep Mail ticked among the listed services, then finish.

iPhone and iPad

Starting from iOS Settings, take Apps, then Mail, then Mail Accounts, then Add Account.
Tap Other, then Add Mail Account. iOS has no NetEase option built in.
Fill the fields in with the authorization code as the password, then tap Next.
Keep IMAP as the type, filling in both host names when iOS requests them.
Tap Save, allowing iOS a moment to run its check.

Android

Open the Android mail app you use and choose Add account.
Pick Other, then IMAP, since NetEase is missing from the provider list.
Supply the full address and your authorization code. If automatic setup falls short, move to Manual setup.
Enter the servers: imap.163.com 993 SSL incoming, smtp.163.com 465 SSL outgoing.
Finish the wizard, then pull the inbox downward to start a sync.

Thunderbird

Starting in Thunderbird, take Account Settings, then Account Actions, then Add Mail Account.
Fill in your name, the full address and the authorization code, then select Continue.
Check what Thunderbird detected, confirming IMAP rather than POP3 and SSL on both hosts.
If detection comes back empty, choose Configure manually and enter the table values.
Choose Done. The folder list arrives on the first sync.

NetEase 163 Webmail Settings#

Those values connect your apps. What follows shapes the mailbox itself. All of it lives in NetEase Mail settings in a browser.

Signature

Set from the webmail settings. It applies to messages sent in the browser. Outlook, Apple Mail and Thunderbird each keep their own, which is how two versions end up in circulation without anyone deciding.

Vacation Auto Reply

Give the away message a start and an end date so it stops unattended. It runs on NetEase servers, so replies keep going out with everything of yours switched off.

Filters and Folders

A rule created in webmail executes on the server, sorting mail before any device fetches it. A rule inside Outlook fires only while Outlook is open, which is why two devices can disagree about where something went.

Spam and Blocked Senders

Individual senders or entire domains can be blocked from the same settings area. Check the spam folder in the browser first when mail goes missing, since a client side rule cannot retrieve what the server already filed.

163 Mail POP3 vs IMAP#

Feature	IMAP	POP3
Where mail lives	On the NetEase 163 server	Downloaded to 1 device
Multiple devices	✅ Everything stays in sync	❌ Each device sees different mail
Sent and deleted mail	✅ Synced everywhere	⚠️ Stays only on that device
Offline reading	⚠️ Cached mail only	✅ Full local copy
Server storage used	Yes, counts against your quota	Can be freed after download
Best for	Phone + computer, everyday use	Single PC, local archives

Our verdict: IMAP. The choice matters slightly more here, since it decides which switch you enable. For a lasting offline copy, a backup tool beats pressing POP3 into that role.

NetEase Requirements and Limits#

NetEase publishes requirements more readily than quotas. These are the constraints that shape a client setup:

Before a client connects	The matching service switch, which issues the authorization code
Authorization code length	16 characters, shown once at generation
IMAP and POP3 switches	Separate. Enabling one leaves the other off
Domains covered	163.com and yeah.net. The 126 sibling uses the same process
Mailbox storage	Not published in a form we could verify, so no figure appears here
Connection limits	NetEase restricts POP3 and IMAP connection frequency and download volume. Unusually heavy activity can get an account temporarily limited
Sending limits	Not published. Treat it as a personal mailbox rather than a sending platform

Troubleshooting NetEase 163 Connections#

Almost every NetEase failure comes back to the switch or the code. Work through in that order.

Error you see	What it means	Fix
Password rejected when it is the mailbox password	NetEase refuses mailbox passwords in clients	Use the client authorization code instead. It is 16 characters and it comes with enabling the service.
Cannot find the authorization code anywhere	The service switch was never completed	The code is issued as part of enabling IMAP/SMTP service. No code usually means no switch. Go back to Settings and POP3/SMTP/IMAP rather than hunting the account pages.
Code accepted for POP but refused for IMAP	Only the POP3/SMTP switch is on	The two services are enabled separately. Turn on IMAP/SMTP service specifically.
Cannot connect to server	Wrong port or encryption	Check IMAP 993 SSL and SMTP 465, with 994 as the alternate. Security software and VPN clients interfere with these ports often enough to rule out.
Password keeps being asked	The mailbox password is in the client	Replace it with the authorization code. If one is already there, check which service switch is actually on.
Messages stuck in Outbox	SMTP authentication is off	Switch outgoing authentication on and point it at the incoming credentials.

Three checks, in order. Hosts come last.

Reader Reported Fixes

Searching the security pages for a password screen. On most services, credentials for outside apps live somewhere in account security, so that is where people look. NetEase issues its authorization code from the service settings instead, as part of switching IMAP on. Anyone who cannot find a code has usually not finished that step. No amount of looking at security pages will produce one.

Chasing a domain matching host name. A yeah.net address seems like it ought to use yeah.net servers. There is in fact an smtp.yeah.net, so this does not even look like a mistake. The 163 host names are the ones NetEase treats as broadly compatible across its personal mailboxes. They are the safer starting point when something will not connect.

yeah.net, 126 and Moving Your Mail#

Holding a yeah.net address? Everything here applies unchanged. NetEase runs 163, 126 and yeah.net as one family of personal mailboxes under a single security policy, with the same setup process across all three.

Holding a 126.com address? The process is identical, so this page will get you connected. A 126 address does have its own imap.126.com host if you prefer it, though the 163 names are the more broadly compatible choice.

Moving mail off NetEase? A migration tool is an IMAP client, so it needs IMAP/SMTP service enabled and an authorization code of its own. Both are easy to overlook when a transfer will not start. Backing the mailbox up to files first is worth the extra few minutes.

One thing to know before a large transfer. NetEase places limits on how often clients may connect over POP3 and IMAP. It also limits how much mail can be pulled down. Push hard enough and an account can be temporarily restricted. If you are moving or archiving a substantial mailbox, expect the job to take its time rather than assuming a stall means something broke. Restarting a stalled transfer repeatedly is the behaviour most likely to trigger a limit.

Taking your mail to a new account? The Univik Email Migration Tool copies every folder from the old account to the new one. Enter the IMAP settings from this page for the NetEase 163 side and your new provider's settings for the other.

Rather not do it yourself? Our Email Migration Services team maps out the transfer, runs it, then checks every folder arrived.

Use These Settings in Univik Email Backup#

The same IMAP settings above let you download your complete NetEase 163 mailbox to your computer. Univik Email Backup writes the mailbox out to PST, MBOX, EML or PDF. What ends up on your disk stays yours whatever happens to the account.

Fetch Univik Email Backup and install it on Windows.
Set NetEase as the source. Where the brand is absent, the plain IMAP option behaves identically.
Use the full email address together with your authorization code. A backup tool is an IMAP client, so the service switch applies here too.
If the tool asks for server details, use imap.163.com with port 993 and SSL from the IMAP table above.
Choose a format and a destination folder, then begin. Larger mailboxes keep downloading quietly.

Why back up before switching providers: POP3 only grabs the inbox and vacation replies to a closed account bounce. Collected through IMAP, the copy retains folders, attachments and original dates in formats any mail app reopens. Changing accounts rather than archiving? The email migration tool carries mail across directly.

Email Settings Glossary#

IMAP

Internet Message Access Protocol. Reads mail left sitting on the server, which keeps inbox, folders and read marks matching across devices.

POP3

Post Office Protocol version 3. Downloads mail to 1 device and can remove it from the server. Older method, still useful for local archives.

SMTP

Simple Mail Transfer Protocol. Sends your outgoing mail. Every account needs it next to IMAP or POP3, which only receive.

SSL / TLS / STARTTLS

Encryption for the connection. SSL/TLS encrypts from the start (ports 993, 995, 465). STARTTLS upgrades a plain connection (port 587).

App Password

A generated string used in place of your real password by an application. NetEase calls its version a client authorization code. It runs to 16 characters, which doubles as a way of checking you copied the right string.

OAuth

Authenticating in a browser window instead of handing the app a password. Several large providers have gone this way, though on NetEase the authorization code remains the route for ordinary mail clients.

How We Verify These Settings#

Email backup, migration and converter software has been Univik's work since 2013. Our tools sign in to NetEase 163 over IMAP and SMTP every day for thousands of users, so a changed server, port or login rule shows up in our connection logs before most guides notice it.

Every value on this page is confirmed with 3 checks: a live IMAP and SMTP connection from Univik Email Backup, a comparison against NetEase guidance and independent vendor documentation, plus a sign in run through current webmail. Where a claim rests on one source rather than several, we say so on the page instead of presenting it as settled. Any announcement triggers a recheck. We revisit quarterly regardless.

Seeing something different on your screen? Tell us about it. We retest, fix it, then record the change under what changed recently.

Help & Support

Frequently Asked Questions

Use imap.163.com on port 993 with SSL, your full address as the username. The password is a client authorization code. IMAP/SMTP service has to be enabled first, which is also how you get the code. The same values serve yeah.net addresses. Everything else sits in the IMAP settings table.

NetEase does not accept mailbox passwords from outside programs at all. You need the client authorization code, which runs to 16 characters. If you cannot find one, that usually means the service switch was never completed, since the code is issued as part of enabling IMAP/SMTP service rather than from a separate password page.

IMAP for almost everyone. It keeps your phone, computer and webmail in sync. POP3 fits only a single computer setup where you want a local download. Full comparison here.

Yes. That holds across NetEase domains too. A yeah.net address takes the same hosts as a 163 one. The 126 sibling uses the same process. What changes from device to device is the menu wording, covered in the client setup guides.

No. NetEase shows the authorization code at generation and not afterwards. Go back to Settings, then POP3/SMTP/IMAP, to issue a fresh one. While you are there, clearing out codes belonging to devices you no longer use is worth the extra minute.

It is, provided you stay on the encrypted ports given here. The authorization code helps as well, since your client never holds the password that opens the mailbox itself. NetEase runs a security verification before issuing a code, which is the provider checking it is really you before opening client access.

A mail client fetches messages over IMAP as it syncs, whereas a dedicated backup tool works faster and produces standard files that open anywhere. See how to back up your 163 mailbox. Holding an export in some awkward format? An email converter recasts it as PST, PDF or whatever comes next.

On NetEase the likeliest causes are a service switch that was turned off or an authorization code that was revoked or replaced. Neither is a fault in your client. Check the switch and the code before rebuilding the account. See what changed recently too.

An email migration tool copies mail directly between the 2 accounts over IMAP. You need the 163 IMAP settings and an authorization code for this side, plus the same details for the destination. IMAP/SMTP service has to be enabled before a transfer will start. Every folder, label and date stays intact.

Worried about the risk? Looking at more mailboxes than you want to count? Our managed email migration service takes on the lot.

Other Email Provider Settings

Gmail Settings Outlook.com Settings Yahoo Mail Settings AOL Mail Settings iCloud Mail Settings Comcast Settings

Summary: NetEase 163 Settings at a Glance

IMAP: imap.163.com, port 993, SSL/TLS
POP3: pop.163.com, port 995, SSL/TLS
SMTP: smtp.163.com, port 465 or 994
Username is always your full email address

Enable IMAP/SMTP service first
The authorization code comes with it
16 characters, shown once
yeah.net uses these same hosts