QQ Mail Settings: IMAP, SMTP and the Authorization Code

Q: What are the QQ Mail IMAP settings?

Use imap.qq.com on port 993 with SSL, your full address as the username. The password is an authorization code . The IMAP/SMTP service has to be switched on first. The same values serve foxmail.com addresses. The full table appears under IMAP settings .

Quick answer: the QQ Mail IMAP server is imap.qq.com on port 993 with SSL. The outgoing server is smtp.qq.com on port 465 with SSL or 587 with STARTTLS. The POP3 server is pop.qq.com on port 995. Your username is the full address. The password is a generated authorization code of 16 characters. Your QQ password will not work in its place. Before either matters, the service has to be switched on inside QQ Mail.

Not one of these values was copied from elsewhere. They come from live IMAP and SMTP connections made by Univik email software. We have built email backup and converter tools since 2013, so servers of this kind are ordinary work here. See what changed →

What Changed Recently#

The hosts have been steady for a long time. What people trip over is what QQ asks for alongside them.

Latest update

Third party clients need an authorization code, not your QQ password. Tencent is direct about this. Mail clients must sign in with a specially generated code rather than the password you use for QQ itself. It runs to 16 characters. Getting one normally involves a security verification step, so set aside a couple of minutes and have your phone nearby.

Earlier change

The service switch and the code are separate things. Turning on IMAP/SMTP service does not hand you a code. Holding a code does nothing while the service is off. Both are needed, yet guides commonly describe one while omitting the other.

Earlier change

Foxmail addresses use the QQ hosts. Foxmail is Tencent, so an @foxmail.com address connects through imap.qq.com and smtp.qq.com exactly as a QQ address does. There is no separate foxmail server set to hunt for.

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

Before You Begin#

Two things, both inside QQ Mail, both required. Skip either and the connection is refused however carefully you type the server values.

1. Switch the service on

QQ Mail keeps client access off by default. IMAP/SMTP service and POP3/SMTP service are separate switches, so enabling one does not enable the other.

Where: Settings → Account → POP3/IMAP/SMTP service section

2. Generate an authorization code

Tencent requires a generated 16 character code for outside clients. Your QQ login password is refused, whatever else is configured correctly.

Where: Authorization code steps below →

About QQ Mail Mail#

QQ Mail is Tencent's email service, among the most widely used in China, covering both @qq.com and @foxmail.com addresses on one platform.

Foxmail began as a separate Chinese mail client and now sits inside Tencent alongside QQ Mail, which is why a foxmail.com address connects through the qq.com hosts. What sets this service apart for anyone configuring a client is that it asks for two things rather than one. A switch has to be turned on inside the mailbox. A code has to be generated separately. Neither works without the other, yet most guides cover only one of them.

Service Name	QQ Mail Mail
Owned By	Tencent
Launched	Long established. Foxmail joined Tencent and now shares the platform
Email Domains	`@qq.com` and `@foxmail.com`, both on the same servers
Webmail URL	mail.qq.com
Protocols Supported	IMAP, POP3, SMTP, plus Exchange, CardDAV and CalDAV
App Password Needed	Yes. Tencent calls it an authorization code, 16 characters
Free Storage	Not published in a form we could verify, so no figure appears here

Foxmail addresses use the QQ hosts: an @foxmail.com address connects through imap.qq.com and smtp.qq.com, exactly as a @qq.com one does. Both are Tencent. There is no foxmail branded server set, so a guide sending you looking for one is sending you nowhere.

QQ Business Mail is a different service. Tencent also runs an enterprise product on exmail.qq.com hosts for company domains. If your address is on your employer's domain rather than @qq.com or @foxmail.com, the values on this page are not the ones you want. Your administrator will have the right ones. The two get confused often enough to be worth stating.

Two names on the door, one platform behind them.

Several widely indexed guides tell you to use your QQ password. More than one popular settings site lists the password field for QQ and Foxmail accounts as your ordinary QQ account password. Tencent refuses that in mail clients, so following those pages produces an authentication failure no amount of retyping will fix. The password has to be a generated authorization code. If you configured this from another guide and it will not sign in, that is the likeliest reason.

Worth knowing before you conclude the settings are wrong.

QQ Mail Webmail Login#

The browser is where both required steps happen, so you will be here at least once during setup:

Webmail

mail.qq.com

Account Security

mail.qq.com

Password Recovery

service.mail.qq.com

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

Two Steps Before Any Client Connects#

QQ Mail asks for two separate things before an outside client is let in. Doing one and not the other is the commonest reason a correct looking setup fails.

Open QQ Mail in a browser, then go to Settings and choose the Account tab. Some guides describe this as Account and Security followed by Security Settings, since the wording has shifted over time. You are looking for the same service list either way.
Find the service section. It is headed POP3/IMAP/SMTP/Exchange/CardDAV/CalDAV Service, which is a mouthful but hard to miss once you scroll to it.
Enable the service you actually want. IMAP/SMTP service and POP3/SMTP service are separate switches. Turning on one leaves the other off, so pick IMAP unless you have a specific reason to want POP3.
Generate an authorization code. This is the second step and it is separate from the switch. Expect a security verification along the way.
Use that code as the password in your client. It runs to 16 characters. Your QQ login password is refused here no matter what else is right.
Give it time if it does not work straight away. Enabling the service is not always immediate. Activation commonly takes a few hours. QQ has indicated it can run to 14 days in some cases.

Two steps. The second is useless without the first.

They sit side by side and read almost identically.

Enabling POP3 does not enable IMAP. The two switches sit next to each other and look almost identical, which makes this an easy thing to get wrong. Someone who turned on POP3/SMTP service and then configured their client for IMAP will find it refused. Nothing about the error points at the switch. If IMAP is what you want, check that the IMAP switch specifically is the one showing as enabled.

QQ Mail IMAP Settings#

IMAP is the incoming protocol worth picking. Mail stays on the server, which is what keeps every device showing the same inbox.

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

QQ Mail POP3 Settings#

POP3 brings everything down to one machine. Defensible for a single computer holding a local copy, awkward otherwise. Undecided? There is a comparison further down.

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

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

QQ Mail SMTP Settings#

Both outgoing ports are published: smtp.qq.com accepts 465 with SSL and 587 with STARTTLS. Sources give both, so both appear here rather than us picking one and quietly dropping the other. Use 465 first and fall back to 587 where a network blocks it.

SMTP carries outgoing mail. On QQ the same authorization code covers both directions, so a credential problem usually stops sending and receiving together.

SMTP Server	`smtp.qq.com`
Port (SSL)	`465`, the usual first choice
Port (STARTTLS)	`587`, equally valid where 465 is blocked
Encryption	SSL or STARTTLS (required)
Username	Your full email address
Password	The same authorization code. There is no separate outgoing credential
Authentication	Required. Outlook presents it as the outgoing server authentication tickbox.

Check QQ Mail IMAP Settings Online#

You don't need to download anything to check QQ Mail IMAP settings online. This page is the lookup: every value is verified, current and copyable straight from your browser. Not sure your address uses QQ Mail 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 QQ Mail 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 QQ Mail. 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 examined in your browser only to work out the domain. It goes nowhere else.

Getting Your QQ Authorization Code#

Tencent generates a separate code for outside clients. Here is which credential belongs where:

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

How to Generate the Authorization Code

Enable the service first. A code generated while IMAP/SMTP service is switched off will not get you in. See the two steps.
Stay in Settings, then Account, in the same service section where you found the switch.
Ask for an authorization code. Tencent runs a security verification at this point, so have your phone to hand.
Copy the 16 character code straight away and paste it into your client as the password. Treat it as show-once.
Use the full address as the username. That holds for foxmail.com addresses too.

Sixteen characters is what you should see: knowing the expected length is more useful than it sounds. If what you have copied is much shorter, you have probably grabbed something else off the page. And if the code is refused immediately, check the service switch before generating another, since a code issued against a disabled service fails in exactly the same way as a wrong one.

Set Up QQ Mail 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 switched on. Pick your app:

Outlook Apple Mail iPhone and iPad Android Thunderbird

The password row is where other guides send you wrong.

Outlook (Windows and Mac)

Within Outlook pick File, then Add Account. Newer Outlook holds this under Settings, then Accounts.
Enter your QQ Mail address, open Advanced options and check "Let me set up my account manually".
Choose IMAP and enter imap.qq.com on port 993 with SSL, then smtp.qq.com on port 465 with SSL or 587 with STARTTLS.
Enter the authorization code when Outlook asks for a password, then tick outgoing server authentication under More Settings.
End by sending yourself a message. One round trip proves both directions at once.

Apple Mail (macOS)

From Apple Mail, move through Settings, Accounts, Add Account.
Choose Other Mail Account. Apple carries no QQ entry among its providers.
Enter your name, full address and authorization code, then continue.
Asked for host names? They sit in the IMAP and SMTP tables further up.
Verify Mail is ticked in the list of services, then finish.

iPhone and iPad

From iOS Settings, move through Apps, Mail, Mail Accounts, Add Account.
Tap Other, then Add Mail Account. iOS has no QQ option built in.
Enter your details using the authorization code, then tap Next.
Leave IMAP chosen, supplying both host names when iOS asks for them.
Hit Save and give iOS a moment to check the account over.

Android

Open whichever Android mail app you use and take Add account.
Choose Other (IMAP) when your provider is not in the list.
Give it the full address and your authorization code. Should automatic setup fall short, move to Manual setup.
Enter the servers: imap.qq.com 993 SSL incoming, smtp.qq.com 465 SSL outgoing.
Work through to the end, then swipe the inbox down to begin syncing.

Thunderbird

From Thunderbird, move through Account Settings, Account Actions, Add Mail Account.
Enter your name, full address and authorization code, then select Continue.
Check what Thunderbird detected, confirming the incoming host reads imap. rather than smtp.
Detection turning up nothing? Pick Configure manually and put the table values in yourself.
Press Done. Folders appear during the first sync.

QQ Mail Webmail Settings#

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

Signature

Found in the QQ Mail settings. It applies to messages sent from the browser. Outlook, Apple Mail and Thunderbird each hold their own, which is how two slightly different versions end up in circulation.

Vacation Auto Reply

Give the away message a start and an end date so it stops without you. It runs on Tencent servers, so replies continue going out with every device of yours switched off.

Filters and Folders

Rules built in the browser run server side, filing mail before any device collects it. A rule inside Outlook only fires while Outlook is open, which is why two devices can disagree about where something went.

Spam and Blocked Senders

Block senders or whole domains from the same settings area. Check the spam folder in the browser first when mail goes missing, since a rule in your client cannot fetch back what the server already filed.

QQ Mail POP3 vs IMAP#

Feature	IMAP	POP3
Where mail lives	On the QQ Mail 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. Here the choice carries an extra consequence. The two protocols have separate switches, so picking one means enabling that one specifically. For a lasting offline copy a backup tool beats bending POP3 into that role.

QQ Mail Requirements and Limits#

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

Before a client connects	The matching service switch, then a generated authorization code
Authorization code length	16 characters
Service activation time	Commonly a few hours. QQ has indicated up to 14 days in some cases
IMAP and POP3 switches	Separate. Enabling one leaves the other off
Domains covered	qq.com and foxmail.com, both on the same servers
Mailbox storage	Not published in a form we could verify, so no figure appears here
Sending limits	Not published. Treat it as a personal mailbox rather than a sending platform

Troubleshooting QQ Mail Connections#

QQ failures nearly always trace to the switch or the code. Start there before touching hosts or ports.

Error you see	What it means	Fix
Password rejected when it is definitely the QQ password	QQ passwords are refused in mail clients	Generate an authorization code and use that instead. The code is 16 characters.
Authorization code rejected too	The matching service switch is off	A code issued against a disabled service fails exactly like a wrong one. Check IMAP/SMTP service is the switch showing as enabled, not POP3/SMTP.
Everything correct, still refused, service only enabled recently	The service has not finished activating	Enabling IMAP/SMTP is not always instant. Activation commonly takes a few hours. QQ has indicated it can stretch to 14 days. Leave a working configuration in place and try again later rather than rebuilding it.
Cannot connect to server	Wrong port or encryption	Verify IMAP on 993 with SSL and SMTP on 465, with 587 as the fallback. Security suites and VPN software obstruct these ports often enough to eliminate first.
Password keeps being asked	The QQ password is in the client. Failing that, the service is off	Replace it with an authorization code. If one is already there, the service switch is the next thing to check.
Messages stuck in Outbox	SMTP authentication is off	Turn on outgoing authentication, pointing it at the credentials incoming already uses.

In that order. The code is rarely the thing at fault.

Reader Reported Fixes

Enabling POP3 and then configuring IMAP. The two switches sit together and read almost identically, so it is easy to flip the wrong one. The client is then refused with an error that says nothing about switches at all. People go off regenerating authorization codes instead. Look at which of the two services is actually showing as enabled.

Hunting for foxmail servers that do not exist. A foxmail.com address feels like it ought to have foxmail hosts. Some searching will even turn up pages appearing to offer them. Foxmail is Tencent, so the qq.com hosts are the real ones. Anyone chasing a foxmail branded server set is chasing something that was never there.

Foxmail Addresses and Moving Your Mail#

Holding a foxmail.com address? Everything on this page applies unchanged. Foxmail came into Tencent and shares the QQ platform, so the hosts, the service switch and the authorization code all work the same way. Only your username differs.

Moving mail off QQ? A migration tool connects over IMAP like any client, which means it needs the IMAP service switched on and an authorization code of its own. Both are easy to overlook when a transfer refuses to start.

Keeping a copy instead? Archive the mailbox into files on your own disk, which is worth doing before any account change rather than after one.

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 QQ Mail side and your new provider's settings for the other.

Rather not do it yourself? Our Email Migration Services team plots the transfer, carries it out, then checks each folder arrived.

Use These Settings in Univik Email Backup#

The same IMAP settings above let you download your complete QQ Mail mailbox to your computer. Univik Email Backup writes the mailbox out as PST, MBOX, EML or PDF. Those files sit on your disk and stay yours whatever happens upstream.

Pick up Univik Email Backup and install it on a Windows machine.
Point it at QQ Mail as the source. Not shown by name? The generic IMAP option does the same job.
Sign in with your full email address and your authorization code. A backup tool is an IMAP client, so the service switch applies here as well.
If the tool asks for server details, use imap.qq.com with port 993 and SSL from the IMAP table above.
Choose an output format and a folder, then start it. A large mailbox keeps downloading while you do other things.

Why back up before switching providers: POP3 only grabs the inbox and vacation replies to a closed account bounce. Pulled down over IMAP, the copy holds folders, attachments and original dates in formats any mail app can reopen. Switching accounts rather than archiving? The email migration tool moves mail straight from one to the other.

Email Settings Glossary#

IMAP

Internet Message Access Protocol. Reads mail that stays put on the server, keeping inbox, folders and read marks consistent across your 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 code standing in for your real password inside an app. Tencent calls its version an authorization code. It runs to 16 characters, which is a handy way to check you copied the right thing.

OAuth

Signing in through a browser window rather than typing a password into the app. Several large providers have gone this way, though on QQ the authorization code remains the route for ordinary mail clients.

How We Verify These Settings#

Univik has built email backup, migration and converter software since 2013. Our tools sign in to QQ Mail 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 Tencent's own published guidance and a sign in run through current webmail. Where we cannot verify a value from the provider, we say so on the page rather than filling the gap. Any announcement triggers a recheck. We revisit quarterly regardless.

Screen showing something different from this page? Let us know. We check it again, correct it, then log the change under what changed recently.

Help & Support

Frequently Asked Questions

Use imap.qq.com on port 993 with SSL, your full address as the username. The password is an authorization code. The IMAP/SMTP service has to be switched on first. The same values serve foxmail.com addresses. The full table appears under IMAP settings.

Because Tencent refuses QQ passwords in mail clients outright. You need a generated authorization code, which runs to 16 characters. If you already have one and it is still being refused, the cause is almost certainly the service switch, since a code issued while the service is off fails in exactly the same way.

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 both Tencent domains too. A foxmail.com address takes the same hosts as a qq.com one. Only menu names differ by device, which the client setup guides handle.

Treat it as show-once and generate a replacement from the same settings section. Before you do, check the service switch, because people frequently burn through several codes when the actual problem was that IMAP/SMTP service had never been enabled.

Yes, on the encrypted ports listed here. The authorization code helps, since your mail client never holds the password that opens your QQ account itself. Generating the code involves a security verification step, which is Tencent checking it is really you before handing out access.

A mail client collects messages over IMAP as it syncs, while a dedicated backup tool runs quicker and produces standard files that open anywhere. See how to back up your QQ Mail mailbox. Already holding an export in the wrong format? An email converter turns it into PST, PDF or whatever your next app reads.

On QQ the likeliest cause is that a service switch was turned off. Failing that, an authorization code was revoked or replaced. Neither is a fault in your client. Check both steps 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 QQ Mail IMAP settings and an authorization code for this side, plus the same details for the destination. The IMAP service has to be enabled before the transfer will start. Every folder, label and date stays intact.

Nervous about the risk? Facing more accounts than you want to think about? Our managed email migration service takes it all on.

Other Email Provider Settings

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

Summary: QQ Mail Settings at a Glance

IMAP: imap.qq.com, port 993, SSL/TLS
POP3: pop.qq.com, port 995, SSL/TLS
SMTP: smtp.qq.com, port 465 or 587
Username is always your full email address

Switch on IMAP/SMTP service first
Then a 16 character authorization code
IMAP and POP3 switches are separate
foxmail.com uses these same hosts